Crosstalk between hemostasis and immunity in cancer pathogenesis

Studies spanning the last 3 decades have fundamentally altered our understanding of the interplay between the hemostatic and immune systems. A plethora of studies have revealed that there is bidirectional crosstalk between these two systems at multiple levels that likely evolved as a means to coordinate the host response to numerous challenges, including trauma, infection, and thermal or chemical injury. Such challenges require reestablishment of vascular integrity, the clearance of pathogens, and removal of cellular and external debris. Clearly, bidirectional coordination of hemostasis and immunity would be beneficial in such contexts. Many types of malignancies take advantage of the interplay between hemostasis and immunity, co-opting these mechanisms to promote tumorigenesis, the formation of a supportive stroma, and metastasis to distant organs. Three important "bridges" that mechanistically link the hemostatic system to immune functions that have been shown to play a key role in cancer biology include the platelet/fibrinogen axis, protease activated receptor-1 (PAR-1) and protease activated receptor-2 (PAR-2). These hemostatic system components have been shown to regulate a variety of immune functions that support tumorigenesis in the context of inflammation-driven malignancy, metastasis, and escape from adaptive antitumor immunity. Understanding the mechanisms coupling these bridges between hemostasis and immunity, as well as others, could provide novel targets for the prevention and treatment of a variety of cancers.