Microparticles, thrombosis and cancer

Microvesicles comprised of exosomes and microparticles are shed from both normal and malignant cells upon cell activation Or apoptosis. Microvesicles promote clot formation, mediate proinflammatory processes, facilitate cell-to-cell interactions, transfer proteins and mRNA to cells, and induce cell signalling. Micioparticles hearing tissue factor play a central role ill Coagulation initiation and thrombus formation. This chapter will review earlier studies which focus on the role of procoagulaut microvesicles in cancer thrombogenicity, and discuss the effects of microvesicles on vascular cell dysfunction and angiogenesis. In addition, this chapter will present new findings which characterize the haemostatic balance of microparticles, and Suggest a method that may potentially serve to predict a state of hypercoagulability in cancer patients. This chapter highlights the interplay between microvesicles, coagulation factors and cancer. (c) 2008 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.