Association of Peripheral Monocyte Count with Soluble P-Selectin and Advanced Stages in Nasopharyngeal Carcinoma

Pre-surgical level of von Willebrand factor as an evident indicator of breast cancer recurrence

BACKGROUND

Endothelial and platelet activation as well as a disruption of haemostatic balance are crucial in cancer-dependent venous thromboembolism development.

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of von Willebrand factor (VWF), sE-selectin, sP-selectin as well as VWF/sE-selectin and sP-selectin/sE-selectin ratios on the probability of disease relapse in invasive breast carcinoma (IBrC) cases.

METHODS

Eighty-four patients with IA-IIB stage of IBrC who passed a comprehensive clinicopathologic evaluation were included in the study. Follow-up was completed in all patients with a 15.48 % recurrence rate. An immunoassay of VWF antigen, sE-selectin, sP-selectin, as well as an immunohistochemistry of oestrogen and progesterone receptors, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) and Ki67 was performed in all cases.

RESULTS

The VWF/sE-selectin ratio was significantly higher in patients with poorly differentiated tumours than in those with high-differentiated tumours. A positive correlation between VWF concentration and tumour grade was noted. Eleven of 13 events happened in patients with VWF value below 600 mU/mL with recurrence rate of 25%, but only two events occurred in subject with VWF values above the 600 mU/mL (5%; P= 0.0028).

CONCLUSIONS

Our study show that VWF could be considered as a suitable biomarker of breast cancer relapse.

Procoagulant Disorders in Patients with Newly Diagnosed Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

Background and objectives: Cancer coagulopathy is thought to be partially due to the up-regulation of tissue factor (TF), thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) and soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin). The purpose of this study was to evaluate the clinical significance of TF, TAT and sP-selectin in patients with pancreatic cancer. Materials and methods: The study included 93 subjects: 73 newly diagnosed patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma (42 with stage I-III and 31 with metastatic cancer (stage IV)) and a control group of 20 healthy subjects. Analyzed patients were hospitalized in the Department of Digestive Tract Diseases, Medical University of Lodz or in the Department of Digestive Tract Surgery, Silesian University, Katowice, Poland. All laboratory parameters were measured using ELISA procedures. Results: TF plasma levels were detectable in all patients and were significantly higher in metastatic cancer compared to stage I-III patients and the control group (p < 0.05). In patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma, the median levels of TAT were also elevated compared to the control group. Moreover, patients with metastases had significantly higher TAT concentration compared to the I-III cancer group. On the other hand, only the metastatic patients group showed significantly higher plasma sP-selectin levels compared to the controls (p = 0.009), whereas there was no difference between localized and metastatic cancer patients. Conclusions: The coagulation disorders are present in the majority of patients with pancreatic adenocarcinoma already at the diagnosis stage and reflect cancer progression and spread.