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Updated: Jul 18, 2026
03:53
Extracellular Vesicle Tissue Factor Activity Assay
Published on: December 29, 2023
Microparticle-associated tissue factor activity: a link between cancer and thrombosis?
M E T Tesselaar1, F P H T M Romijn, I K Van Der Linden
1Department of Clinical Oncology, Leiden University Medical Center, Leiden, the Netherlands.
Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis : JTH
|December 15, 2006
Summary
Patients with advanced mucinous adenocarcinoma and high levels of microparticle-associated tissue factor (TF) and MUC1 have a poorer prognosis. These findings highlight TF and MUC1
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Hematology
- Biochemistry
Background:
- Mucinous adenocarcinoma is linked to venous thromboembolism (VTE).
- Tissue factor (TF) initiates coagulation and is implicated in the interplay between clotting and cancer progression.
- Elevated TF expression in tumors correlates with poor differentiation and prognosis.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between VTE and procoagulant properties of circulating microparticles (MP).
- To compare MP-associated TF activity in pancreatic and breast adenocarcinoma patients with VTE against healthy controls and non-metastatic cancer patients.
Main Methods:
- Blood samples were collected from unselected pancreatic and breast adenocarcinoma patients with confirmed VTE.
- Circulating microparticles (MP) were isolated and their TF activity was measured.
- Association between MP-associated TF, MUC1 expression, and patient survival was analyzed using Cox proportional hazards model.
Main Results:
- Disseminated breast and pancreatic cancer patients exhibited significantly higher MP-associated TF activity than controls.
- Patients with high MP-associated TF activity and MUC1 expression showed reduced survival rates (3-9 months follow-up).
- The presence of both TF and MUC1 was associated with a survival likelihood of 0.42 (95% CI: 0.19-0.94) after adjusting for other factors.
Conclusions:
- MP-associated TF and MUC1 play a significant role in thrombosis pathogenesis in disseminated mucinous adenocarcinoma.
- These findings suggest potential biomarkers for risk stratification in these patients.
- Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying mechanisms of these associations.
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