Increased activity of procoagulant factors in patients with small cell lung cancer

PLoS One. 2021 Jul 21;16(7):e0253613. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0253613. eCollection 2021.

Abstract

Small cell lung cancer (SCLC) patients have augmented risk of developing venous thromboembolism, but the mechanisms triggering this burden on the coagulation system remain to be understood. Recently, cell-derived microparticles carrying procoagulant phospholipids (PPL) and tissue factor (TF) in their membrane have attracted attention as possible contributors to the thrombogenic processes in cancers. The aims of this study were to assess the coagulation activity of platelet-poor plasma from 38 SCLC patients and to provide a detailed procoagulant profiling of small and large extracellular vesicles (EVs) isolated from these patients at the time of diagnosis, during and after treatment compared to 20 healthy controls. Hypercoagulability testing was performed by thrombin generation (TG), procoagulant phospholipid (PPL), TF activity, Protein C, FVIII activity and cell-free deoxyribonucleic acid (cfDNA), a surrogate measure for neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs). Our results revealed a coagulation activity that is significantly increased in the plasma of SCLC patients when compared to age-related healthy controls, but no substantial changes in coagulation activity during treatment and at follow-up. Although EVs in the patients revealed an increased PPL and TF activity compared with the controls, the TG profiles of EVs added to a standard plasma were similar for patients and controls. Finally, we found no differences in the coagulation profile of patients who developed VTE to those who did not, i.e. the tests could not predict VTE. In conclusion, we found that SCLC patients display an overall increased coagulation activity at time of diagnosis and during the disease, which may contribute to their higher risk of VTE.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Blood Coagulation Tests
  • Carcinoma, Small Cell / blood*
  • Carcinoma, Small Cell / etiology
  • Carcinoma, Small Cell / pathology
  • Centrifugation
  • Cysteine Endopeptidases / blood*
  • DNA / blood
  • Extracellular Vesicles / chemistry
  • Extracellular Vesicles / ultrastructure
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / blood*
  • Lung Neoplasms / complications
  • Lung Neoplasms / pathology
  • Male
  • Microscopy, Immunoelectron
  • Middle Aged
  • Nanoparticles
  • Neoplasm Proteins / blood*
  • Pulmonary Embolism / blood
  • Pulmonary Embolism / epidemiology
  • Pulmonary Embolism / etiology
  • Risk Factors
  • Thrombin / biosynthesis
  • Thrombophilia / blood*
  • Thrombophilia / etiology
  • Thromboplastin / analysis*
  • Venous Thromboembolism / blood
  • Venous Thromboembolism / etiology

Substances

  • Neoplasm Proteins
  • DNA
  • Thromboplastin
  • Thrombin
  • Cysteine Endopeptidases
  • cancer procoagulant

Grants and funding

This work was funded by grants from the Danish Research Council for Independent Research, 4183-00268), https://ufm.dk/ (S.R.K.); and the Obel Family Foundation, 26145, http://www.europeanfunding-guide.eu/scholarship/7862-obel-family-foundation (S.R.K.). The funders had no role in study design, data collection and analysis, decision to publish, or preparation of the manuscript.