HEMOSTATIC CHANGES - PLASMA-LEVELS OF ALPHA2-ANTIPLASMIN-PLASMIN COMPLEX AND THROMBIN-ANTITHROMBIN-III COMPLEX IN FEMALE BREAST-CANCER

Aims and background: Disorders of hemostasis in patients with malignan cies are based on several mechanisms, such as ability of the tumor to alter the coagulation system by producing blood clotting factors or de creasing their inhibitors by increasing fibrinolysis, and by inducing an alteration of blood vessels in relation to the state of local invas ion. We investigated the fibrinolytic system marker alpha2-antiplasmin -plasmin complex (APP) and clotting system marker thrombin-antithrombi n III complex (TAT) in patients with breast cancer and compare them wi th CA 15-3, the most well-known breast cancer antigen. Methods: plasma levels of APP and TAT and serum level of CA 15-3 were determined in 5 7 patients with breast cancer (28 in remission and 29 with active brea st cancer) and 13 healthy women. Results: In patients with active brea st cancer, plasma APP levels were significantly elevated compared to t hose of other groups (P<0.05). In addition, we observed a poor but pos itive correlation between plasma levels of APP and those of CA 15-3 (r =0.24; P=0.038). Plasma TAT levels, which reflect the activation of th rombin, were also significantly elevated in patients with active breas t cancer (P<0.01), and there was a significant correlation between CA 15-3 and TAT (r=0,24; P=0.041). Conclusions: We demonstrated that incr eased APP and TAT levels might reflect enhanced activation of coagulat ion and the fibrinolytic system in patients with active breast cancer.