Association between protein C levels and mortality in patients with advanced prostate, lung and pancreatic cancer

Cellular Components Contributing to the Development of Venous Thrombosis in Patients with Pancreatic Cancer

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is an aggressive type of cancer and has a poor prognosis. Patients with PDAC are at high risk of developing thromboembolic events, which is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality following cancer progression. Plasma-derived coagulation is the most studied process in cancer-associated thrombosis. Other blood components, such as platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells, have been gaining less attention. This narrative review addresses the literature on the role of cellular components in the development of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with PDAC. Blood cells seem to play an important role in the development of VTE. Altered blood cell counts, i.e., leukocytosis, thrombocytosis, and anemia, have been found to associate with VTE risk. Tumor-related activation of leukocytes leads to the release of tissue factor-expressing microvesicles and the formation of neutrophil extracellular traps, initiating coagulation and forming a scaffold for thrombi. Tissue factor-expressing microvesicles are also thought to be released by PDAC cells. PDAC cells have been shown to stimulate platelet activation and aggregation, proposedly via the secretion of podoplanin and mucins. Hypofibrinolysis, partially explained by increased plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 activity, is observed in PDAC. In short, PDAC-associated hypercoagulability is a complex and multifactorial process. A better understanding of cellular contributions to hypercoagulability might lead to the improvement of diagnostic tests to identify PDAC patients at highest risk of VTE.

Hemostasis and cancer: Impact of haemostatic biomarkers for the prediction of clinical outcomes in patients with cancer

Patients with cancer are characterized by a dysregulation of the hemostatic system and systemic hypercoagulability. Different components of the hemostatic system are involved in tumor-promoting mechanisms including primary tumor growth, cancer cell invasion, immune evasion, angiogenesis, and the metastatic process. Therefore, different degrees of systemic hemostatic activation in patients with cancer can reflect distinct underlying biological phenotypes of cancer and seem to correlate with cancer aggressiveness. Peripheral blood levels of hemostatic biomarkers, indicating the activation status of different parts of the hemostatic system including the coagulation cascade, fibrinolytic activity, platelet activation, or endothelial activation, can be used to reflect cancer-associated systemic hypercoagulability. Thereby, hemostatic biomarkers represent promising candidates to investigate as surrogate markers for underlying cancer activity and progression dynamics and therefore as biomarkers for the prediction of clinical outcomes in cancer patients. In the present review, we provide an up-to-date summary of available data on hemostatic biomarkers for prognostication of overall survival and prediction of therapy response in patients with cancer, including specific oncologic treatment settings for potential clinical application. We provide a thorough discussion on potential clinical implementation and current limitations and highlight the most promising emerging biomarkers that might be used to contribute to risk-stratified, personalized oncologic decision making in the future.

Hemostatic Biomarkers and Cancer Prognosis: Where Do We Stand?

Cancer patients are characterized by hypercoagulable state and an increased rate of thrombotic events, the most common being venous thromboembolism. Several hemostatic pathways that are significantly implicated in mechanisms of thromboembolic disease are also involved in growth, invasion, and metastatic spread of malignant cells as well in tumor-induced neo-angiogenesis. This close connection between cancer and the hemostatic system has prompted numerous studies on the role of alterations in the level plasma biomarkers of the different compartments of hemostasis in predicting cancer prognosis. In this review, we collect the results of several exemplificative studies that have evaluated clotting activation biomarkers in relation to different cancer outcomes with a final emphasis on current research and forthcoming directions in this field.

Increased activity of procoagulant factors in patients with small cell lung cancer

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients have augmented risk of developing venous thromboembolism, but the mechanisms triggering this burden on the coagulation system remain to be understood. Recently, cell-derived microparticles carrying procoagulant phospholipids (PPL) and tissue factor (TF) in their membrane have attracted attention as possible contributors to the thrombogenic processes in cancers. The aims of this study were to assess the coagulation activity of platelet-poor plasma from 38 SCLC patients and to provide a detailed procoagulant profiling of small and large extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from these patients at the time of diagnosis, during and after treatment compared to 20 healthy controls. Hypercoagulability testing was performed by thrombin generation (TG), procoagulant phospholipid (PPL), TF activity, Protein C, FVIII activity and cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (cfDNA), a surrogate measure for neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Our results revealed a coagulation activity that is significantly increased in the plasma of SCLC patients when compared to age-related healthy controls, but no substantial changes in coagulation activity during treatment and at follow-up. Although EVs in the patients revealed an increased PPL and TF activity compared with the controls, the TG profiles of EVs added to a standard plasma were similar for patients and controls. Finally, we found no differences in the coagulation profile of patients who developed VTE to those who did not, i.e. the tests could not predict VTE. In conclusion, we found that SCLC patients display an overall increased coagulation activity at time of diagnosis and during the disease, which may contribute to their higher risk of VTE.

Hemostatic biomarkers in cancer progression

Malignant disease is characterized by a hemostatic imbalance, usually shifted towards a procoagulant direction, and a high incidence of thrombotic complications. The mechanisms of hemostasis that are critically involved in thrombosis are also implicated in tumor progression, angiogenesis, and metastatic spread. As there is a close relationship between cancer and the clotting system, circulating biomarkers of activation of various hemostasis compartments (i.e. coagulation, fibrinolysis, platelets, endothelium, and other blood cells) have been extensively studied to predict cancer outcomes along with predicting the thrombotic risk. In this review, we will summarize the results of published studies and will focus on ongoing research and future directions of clotting activation bioproducts as biomarkers of cancer disease and progression.

Cancer and Thrombotic Risk: The Platelet Paradigm

Hematologic malignancies and solid tumors increase the risk of venous and arterial thrombosis and contribute greatly to patient morbidity and mortality. Thrombosis occurs when the intricate balance of circulating antithrombotic and prothrombotic blood elements are disrupted. In recent years, the interplay between paraneoplastic cells and platelets has become apparent, with a change in platelet phenotype causing dysregulated platelet activity. This review discusses mechanism of thrombosis in cancer, evidence for using drug therapy, and exciting research efforts to understand and hopefully control aberrant thrombotic events in patients with cancer.