General changes in hemostasis in gastric cancer

Disorders of haemostasis and haemocoagulation are often seen in patients with cancer as a part of paraneoplastic syndrome. Thrombotic and/or haemorrhagic complications are the second most common cause of mortality in patients with cancer. The evaluation of the haemostatic parameters of 67 patients with gastric cancer have indicated tendency to thrombophilia and activation of intravascular coagulation, of which 31.3% showed tendency to hypercoagulation and 47.8% disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). Only 7.5% of subjects have yielded normal laboratory findings while 5.9% of patients had DIC with remarkable hypocoagulation. Thrombocytosis, platelet hyperaggregability and elevation of beta-thromboglobulin are the indicators of changes in primary haemostasis and elevation of thrombomodulin indicates vascular wall damage. Lower antithrombin III levels, C-protein and S-protein in plasma have indicated lower antithrombotic potential in patients with gastric cancer. It can be concluded that patients suffering from gastric cancer are at higher risk of thromboembolism as for haemorrhagic diathesis (20.1% thromboembolism, 11.94% fatal thromboembolic events vs 5.9 % haemorrhagic diathesis) (Tab. 5, Ref. 22). Full Text (Free, PDF) www.bmj.sk.