Serum D-dimer not predictive of colon polyp size, pathology

Serum D-dimer levels appear to be insufficient at predicting colon polyp pathology and progression to malignancy, reports a recent study.

The study included 278 patients contributing a total of 552 polyps for retrospective analysis. Participants were divided into eight groups according to polyp pathological findings and polyp size. Biomarkers under analysis included serum D-dimer, lipid, and uric acid.

The Kruskal-Wallis test revealed no significant link between serum D-dimer levels and polyp pathology (H, 5.901; p=0.551) or polyp size (H, 3.466; p=0.839), suggesting that the biomarker could not reliably indicate whether a polyp would eventually progress into malignancy, nor could it be used as a noninvasive marker for polyp growth.

In contrast, serum triglyceride levels significantly correlated with polyp size (H, 22.386; p=0.002), as did uric acid (H, 15.786; p=0.027). Total cholesterol reached borderline significance (H, 13.065; p=0.071), while high- and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol were both unrelated to polyp size.

Meanwhile, none of the tested biomarkers showed any statistical interaction with polyp pathology, though uric acid levels reached borderline significance (H, 13.989; p=0.051).

“The present study aims to analyse the respective correlations of the serum D-dimer, lipid, and uric acid levels with colon polyp pathology and size in order to provide a clinical basis for early colon polyp diagnosis and treatment, as well as reduce carcinogenesis incidence,” the researchers said.

“The serum triglyceride and uric acid levels are independent risk factors for colon polyp size and could be used as auxiliary tests for early colon polyp diagnosis in clinical practice,” they added.