ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION: This study aimed to clarify the frequency and risk factors of intercurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients undergoing major curative gastric cancer surgery. METHODS: This prospective, multicenter, observational study included patients with gastric cancer who underwent radical gastrectomy at 5 hospitals between June 2016 and May 2018. Patients who were preoperatively administered anticoagulants were excluded. RESULTS: A total of 126 patients were eligible to participate. VTE occurred within 9 days postoperatively in 5 cases (4.0%; 2 symptomatic and 3 asymptomatic). Postoperative day (POD) 1 plasma D-dimer and soluble fibrin (SF) levels were significantly higher in the VTE group than in the non-VTE group. Receiver-operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis indicated a statistically significant ability of POD 1 D-dimer and SF levels to predict postoperative VTE development after gastrectomy; this finding was reflected by an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.97 (95% CI 0.92-1.0) and 0.87 (95% CI 0.74-1.0), respectively. Cutoff values of D-dimer (24.6 µg/mL) and SF (64.1 µg/mL) were determined. Intraoperative blood transfusion (odds ratio [OR] 7.86), POD 1 D-dimer ≥24.6 µg/mL (OR 17.35), and POD 1 SF ≥64.1 µg/mL (OR 19.5) were independent predictive factors for postoperative VTE (p < 0.05). CONCLUSION: VTE occurred in 4.0% patients (1.6% symptomatic and 2.4% asymptomatic) after gastric cancer surgery; however, with an early diagnosis and anticoagulant therapy, no patients experienced progression. Careful observation of patients with a high risk for VTE, including intraoperative blood transfusion and high POD 1 D-dimer or SF levels, would contribute to the early detection of VTE.
