Introduction: Breast cancer is the commonest cancer in Indian female population. India faces a potential breast cancer epidemic over the next decade as women adopt western lifestyles by marrying and bearing children later in life. An emerging literaturesupports hemostatic elements as an important patientfactor that facilitates the metastatic potential of breastcancer including platelets, coagulation, and fibrinolysis. Hence this study was taken up to assess the coagulation abnormalities in patients of breast cancer.

Materials and Methods: The study was a prospective, case control study carried out with patients presenting with complaints of lump in the breast which were later confirmed to be malignant after triple assessment. Data was collected by history taking, physical examination, haematological investigations including coagulation profile, imaging tests (mammogram, ultrasound and/or MRI), andFNAC
or core needle biopsy.

Results: Platelet count, Bleeding and clotting times, PT, INR, APTT and fibrinogen were found to be  comparable in patients with breast cancer when compared with controls. D-Dimers were found to be significantly elevated (odds ratio = 10.54, p = 0.03) in patients with breast cancer when compared with controls. D-Dimers were elevated in cases with locally advanced and advanced breast carcinomas.

Conclusion: Locally advanced and advanced breast carcinomas may present with an elevated levels of d-dimers indicating a compensated state of DIC.Detection of D-Dimers may offer a differential analysis over other laboratory tests for DIC.