Tag Archives: cancer

Platelets Platelets are a blood component made in the bone marrow necessary for normal blood clotting. When injury occurs, platelets will clump (aggregate) at the site, which forms a blood clot and stops the bleeding. The total number of platelets that are in a specific volume of blood can be counted. This test is done on people who are having …

  D-dimer D-dimer is made up of fibrin, a blood component necessary for normal blood clotting. Blood clots are normally broken down by plasmin, which causes D-dimer levels to increase in the blood. High blood levels of D-dimer are mainly used to diagnose DIC (disseminated intravascular coagulation), DVT (deep vein thrombosis), pulmonary embolism, cancer, or sickle cell anemia. D-dimer is …