Thrombosis and Malignancy

For over a hundred years, thrombosis has been known to contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality of malignant disease. In the last decades, major advances in the investigation of the relationship between tumor growth and blood coagulation have been achieved, showing this complex phenomenon to be the second most important cause of death in cancer patients. This special issue of Acta Haematologica covers the most relevant aspects of thromboembolism in malignancy, from epidemiology to pathogenesis and treatment. All important epidemiological studies are critically reviewed, and it is demonstrated that thrombosis often represents the earliest clinical manifestation of cancer or can be triggered by surgery or other predisposing conditions such as chemotherapy. Further, pathogenetic mechanisms are described, and the plausibility of the association of thrombosis with malignancy on the basis of various known tumor tissue-specific clot-promoting properties is shown. The issue revisits all varieties of clinical pictures associated with malignancy: subclinical hypercoagulable conditions as well as systemic syndromes like disseminated intravascular coagulation, thrombotic microangiopathy, and hepatic veno-occlusive disease. Finally, new concepts for the prophylaxis in surgical or medical conditions are discussed, and suggestions for treating these complications are provided. 'Thrombosis and Malignancy' is a valuable source of information for vascular biologists, physiologists and molecular biologists and other scientists working in the fields of thrombogenesis and tumor progression. But also oncologists, hematologists, internists or surgeons interested in the identification, prevention and treatment of thrombohemorrhagic complications in cancer patients might greatly benefit from this publication.