title: Reduced plasma levels of coagulation factors in relation to prostate cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Prostate cancer has historically been associated with coagulation abnormalities. This study was undertaken to investigate the prevalence of abnormalities of coagulation factors in patients with prostate cancer before and after radical prostatectomy (RP). Because coagulation factors have been shown to be involved in tumor angiogenesis, the vascular density of the prostate tumors was assessed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Plasma of 40 consecutive patients with histologically proven prostate cancer was investigated pre-RP and post-RP. The antigen level for antithrombin, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, and heparin cofactor-II, and the plasma activity of antithrombin and plasminogen were determined by using immunologic and chromogenic assays. The values of these assays were compared with a group of 28 male, age-matched patients without any evidence of cancer and 18 patients with orthopedic interventions preoperatively and postoperatively. The vascular density of the prostate tumors was assessed by staining paraffin sections with an antibody to CD34.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median plasma antigen levels and/or activities of the investigated factors were below normal in the prostate cancer patients before RP. Furthermore, coagulation factors were significantly lower than in the age-matched control group and patients before and after orthopedic surgery. In prostate cancer patients, the median values of all investigated factors went up to normal levels within 2 weeks after RP, whereas postsurgical levels in orthopedic patients remained stable. No correlations to tumor parameters have been observed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We assume that the reduction of these coagulation factors is a principle concept in prostate cancer that needs further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Urology and Pediatric Urology, the J.W. Goethe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany. beecken@em.uni-frankfurt.de
authors.forename: Wolf-Dietrich
authors.initials: WD
authors.lastname: Beecken
authors.forename: Wassilios
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bentas
authors.forename: Knut
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Engels
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Glienke
authors.forename: Anja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Urbschat
authors.forename: Dietger
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jonas
authors.forename: Jochen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Binder
authors.forename: Inge
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Scharrer
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D018952:Antigens, CD34 / Q000378:metabolism; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors / Q000378:metabolism*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009389:Neovascularization, Pathologic / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen / Q000097:blood; D011468:Prostatectomy; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000601:surgery; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D018952:Antigens, CD34; D001779:Blood Coagulation Factors; D017430:Prostate-Specific Antigen