Abstract
BACKGROUND: Coagulation status is closely related to the progression of malignant tumors. In the era of neoadjuvant immunochemotherapy (NICT), the prognostic utility of coagulation indicators in patients with locally advanced gastric cancer (LAGC) undergoing new treatments remains to be determined. AIM: To determine whether hypercoagulation is an effective prognostic indicator in patients with LAGC who underwent radical resection after NICT. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of clinical data from 104 patients with LAGC, who underwent radical resection after NICT between 2020 and 2023, was performed. D-dimer and fibrinogen concentrations were measured one week before NICT, and again one week before surgery, to analyze the association between these two indicators and their combined indices [non-hypercoagulation (D-dimer and fibrinogen concentrations within the upper limit of normal) vs hypercoagulation (D-dimer or fibrinogen concentrations above the upper limit of normal)] with prognosis. After radical resection, patients were followed-up periodically. The median follow-up duration was 21 months. RESULTS: Data collected after NICT revealed that the three-year overall survival (OS) and disease-free survival (DFS) rates the non-hypercoagulation group were significantly better than those in the hypercoagulation group [94.4% vs 78.0% (P = 0.019) and 87.0% vs 68.0% (P = 0.027), respectively]. Multivariate analysis indicated that hypercoagulation after NICT was an independent factor for poor postoperative OS [hazard ratio (HR) 4.436, P = 0.023] and DFS (HR 2.551, P = 0.039). Pre-NICT data demonstrated no statistically significant difference in three-year OS between the non-hypercoagulation and hypercoagulation groups (88.3% vs 84.1%, respectively; P = 0.443). CONCLUSION: Hypercoagulation after NICT is an effective prognostic indicator in patients with LAGC undergoing radical gastrectomy.