D-dimer levels in the differential diagnosis between lipoma and well-differentiated liposarcoma.

BACKGROUND: Lipoma and well-differentiated liposarcoma (WDLS) are two representative lipogenic soft tissue tumors that have similar clinical, radiological, and pathological characteristics. Accordingly, it is difficult to distinguish these tumors preoperatively. Plasma D-dimer levels are associated with the status of tumor progression, and we hypothesized that D-dimer levels could contribute to differential diagnosis. The D-dimer levels of these two entities have not yet been reported.

PATIENTS AND METHODS: We investigated 43 cases of lipoma and 14 cases of WDLS. We evaluated the utility of D-dimer levels and other clinicopathological factors for preoperative differential diagnosis between the two entities.

RESULTS: Receiver operating characteristic analysis revealed that the D-dimer level may contribute to differential diagnosis (area under the curve=0.73). Univariate and multivariate models demonstrated that plasma D-dimer levels (p=0.001 (univariate), and p=0.006 (multivariate)) and lower extremity location (p=0.006 (univariate), and p=0.03 (multivariate)) were independent risk factors for WDLS.

CONCLUSION: The D-dimer level may be a helpful marker for preoperative differential diagnosis between lipoma and WDLS.