LEVELS OF PROTEIN-C AND PROTEIN-S DO NOT DECLINE SUBSEQUENT TO FIRST-LINE CHEMOTHERAPY IN LYMPHOMA PATIENTS

Thromboembolic complications and decrease in protein C and S have been observed in patients while receiving combination chemotherapy for bre ast cancer. We investigated whether initial cytotoxic treatment of non -Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL) and Hodgkin's disease (HD) is also associate d with changes in these anticoagulant parameters. For this purpose 25 patients with intermediate to high grade NHL and seven with HD, underg oing primary treatment with cytotoxic drugs were evaluated at three ti me-points: pre-therapy, mid-therapy and post-therapy. In contrast to t he breast cancer patients, no significant changes in protein C, protei n S and antithrombin III levels were observed in the NHL patients duri ng the various stages of therapy. However in HD patients, the mean pro tein C values had a tendency to be higher at mid-therapy compared to p re-therapy and protein S levels had a tendency to be higher at mid-the rapy compared to post-therapy. In lymphoma patients receiving primary cytotoxic treatment we did not find changes in anticoagulant parameter s that can explain a chemotherapy-induced hypercoagalable state, as ha s been reported in breast cancer patients. (C) 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.