title: Plasma von Willebrand factor antigen levels in non-small cell lung cancer patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To analyze the behavior of circulating von Willebrand factor antigen (vWf:Ag) in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
  
  
  METHODS
  Pre-surgical vWf:Ag levels were measured in 64 patients with histologically diagnosed NSCLC compared to 64 patients with benign pulmonary diseases, as well as 64 age- and sex-matched controls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with NSCLC had mean vWf:Ag concentrations lower than either controls or benign patients (p =0.001). CEA was the only variable predictive of low vWf:Ag levels (p<0.01). Five of the 64 NSCLC patients had abnormally low vWf:Ag concentrations (<36 IU/dL). When these patients were excluded from the analysis, the vWf:Ag levels of NSCLC patients did not differ from those of controls (p=0.19).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The vWf antigen levels of NSCLC patients are not substantially altered. A small subset of these patients will have a depletion of circulating vWf:Ag, probably because of a paraneoplastic process associated with an advanced stage of disease.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental Medicine and Pathology, University La Sapienza, Viale Regina Elena 324, Rome, Italy.
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Martini
authors.forename: Patrizia
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Ferroni
authors.forename: Fiorella
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guadagni
authors.forename: Stefania
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Basili
authors.forename: Antonella
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Spila
authors.forename: Roberta
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: D'Alessandro
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Mineo
authors.forename: Anastasia
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Laudisi
authors.forename: Ilaria
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Portarena
authors.forename: Sabrina
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mariotti
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Ambrogi
authors.forename: Tommaso C
authors.initials: TC
authors.lastname: Mineo
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Roselli
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen / Q000096:biosynthesis; D002289:Carcinoma, Non-Small-Cell Lung / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007118:Immunoassay; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012737:Sex Factors; D013997:Time Factors; D014841:von Willebrand Factor / Q000096:biosynthesis*
chemical_list: D002272:Carcinoembryonic Antigen; D014841:von Willebrand Factor