Pancreatic cancer is characterised by high tumoural expression of tissue factor, activation of leukocytes with the release of neutrophil extracellular traps, the dissemination of tumour-derived microvesicles that promote hypercoagulability and increased platelet activation.
This study shows that a high EV-TF procoagulant activity as measured by the fibrin generation test is associated with an increased risk of VTE in cancer patients, in particular in those with pancreatic cancer.
Tuned Density of Anti-Tissue Factor Antibody Fragment onto siRNA-Loaded Polyion Complex Micelles for Optimizing Targetability into Pancreatic Cancer Cells.
However, TF-MPs have yet to be accepted as a genuine biomarker for cancer-associated VTE, as the presence of elevated TF-MP levels is not always accompanied by thrombosis; interestingly, in certain cases, particularly in pancreatic cancer, VTE seems to be more likely in the context of acute inflammation.
While asTF levels ≥200 pg/mL are not observed with increased frequency in patients with ACS and/or DM, they do occur more frequently in the plasma of patients with pancreatic cancer and are associated with lower likelihood of tumor resectability, irrespective of the preoperative diagnosis. asTF may thus have utility as a novel marker of aggressive pancreatic tumor phenotype.
Tissue factor over-expression by human pancreatic cancer cells BXPC3 is related to higher prothrombotic potential as compared to breast cancer cells MCF7.
This body of work suggests a new paradigm for the role of TF in pancreatic cancer: that asHTF contributes to cancer growth, independent of procoagulant activity.