Abstract

Predicting survival accurately in patients with advanced cancer is important in guiding interventions and planning future care. Objective tools are therefore needed. Blood biomarkers are appealing due to their rapid measurement and objective nature. Thrombosis is a common complication in cancer. Recent data indicate that tumor-induced neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) are pro-thrombotic. We therefore performed a comprehensive investigation of circulating markers of neutrophil activation, NET formation, coagulation and fibrinolysis in 106 patients with terminal cancer. We found that neutrophil activation and NET markers were prognostic in terminal cancer patients. Interestingly, markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis did not have a prognostic value in this patient group, and there were weak or no correlations between these markers and markers of neutrophil activation and NETs. This suggest that NETs are linked to a poor prognosis through pathways independent of coagulation. Additional studies are needed to determine the utility of circulating neutrophil activation and NET markers, alone or in concert with established clinical parameters, as objective and reliable prognostic tools in advanced cancer.

Details

Title
Prognostic value of circulating markers of neutrophil activation, neutrophil extracellular traps, coagulation and fibrinolysis in patients with terminal cancer
Author
Rosell Axel 1 ; Aguilera Katherina 1 ; Hisada Yohei 2 ; Schmedes Clare 2 ; Mackman Nigel 2 ; Wallén Håkan 3 ; Lundström Staffan 4 ; Thålin Charlotte 1 

 Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Division of Internal Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.4714.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0626) 
 University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, UNC Blood Research Center, Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine, Chapel Hill, USA (GRID:grid.10698.36) (ISNI:0000000122483208) 
 Karolinska Institutet, Department of Clinical Sciences, Danderyd Hospital, Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.4714.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0626) 
 Stockholms Sjukhem Foundation, Palliative Care Services and R&D-Unit, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.4714.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0626); Karolinska Institutet, Department of Oncology-Pathology, Stockholm, Sweden (GRID:grid.4714.6) (ISNI:0000 0004 1937 0626) 
Publication year
2021
Publication date
2021
Publisher
Nature Publishing Group
e-ISSN
20452322
Source type
Scholarly Journal
Language of publication
English
ProQuest document ID
2495702870
Copyright
© The Author(s) 2021. This work is published under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ (the “License”). Notwithstanding the ProQuest Terms and Conditions, you may use this content in accordance with the terms of the License.