Activated protein C levels in patients with gynecologic tumors

Activated protein C (APC) levels were measured in the plasma of patients with benign and malignant gynecologic tumors preoperatively, and on postoperative days 1 and 7. Preoperative levels of APC were found to be significantly low in both groups of patients compared to a group of healthy subjects. On postoperative day 1, levels of APC decreased significantly in both groups of patients compared to preoperative levels. By the 7th postoperative day, levels of APC in patients with benign tumors had increased significantly compared to postoperative day 1; levels in patients with malignant tumors, however, remained low. Our findings imply that there is a substantive correlation between gynecologic tumors, gynecologic surgery and the coagulation inhibitor, APC, which, in turn, can presumably be used to identify gynecologic patients who are at high risk for venous thrombosis.