Abstract
Thrombosis is one of the leading causes of mortality in cancer patients. The aim of the study was to evaluate the concentrations and activities of selected haemostatic parameters in the plasma of patients diagnosed with breast cancer (BrCa) and to make an attempt at finding associations with their levels and selected clinicopathological factors; clinical classification, histological grading, and molecular subtype of BrCa. The study involved 145 Caucasian ethnicity women. Eighty-five women aged 45-66 with primary BrCa without distant metastases (M0). Inclusion criteria were as follows: histopathological examination confirming the diagnosis of primary BrCa, without previous radiotherapy and chemotherapy. The control group consisted of 60, post-menopausal women, aged 45-68. Haemostatic profile expressed by concentrations and activities of tissue factor (TF) and its inhibitor (TFPI) as well as concentrations of tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) and plasminogen activator inhibitor type 1 (PAI-1) were measured applying immunoassay techniques. A significantly higher concentration of PAI-1 was noted in patients with BrCa localized in the left breast. We observed significantly lower activity of TFPI and significantly higher concentration of PAI-1 in the group of patients with invasive ductal carcinoma as compared with invasive lobular carcinoma. A significantly higher concentration of t-PA in patients with pT2 BrCa in relation to pT1 cases was noted. Based on comprehensive analysis of haemostatic profile depending on clinicopathological features, we suggest that haemostatic parameters play crucial roles in invasion and metastases of malignant tumours.