[Biomolecular markers in cancer-associated thromboembolism]

Patients with cancer have an increased risk of developing thromboembolism, which is associated with increased morbidity and mortality and hinders its clinical management. Cancer generates a hypercoagulable state that increases the generation of thrombin. This coagulation activation, along with the inflammatory changes fostered by the neoplastic cells, favors tumor progression at the local and distal level. In this review, we present the most salient aspects of the pathophysiology of hypercoagulability in cancer and list the hemostatic biomarkers that reflect this biological situation of hypercoagulability. These parameters can be used as risk factors to predict the probability of developing thrombosis, which help identify patients who can benefit from antithrombotic prophylaxis.