Mechanisms of thrombosis in cancer

Patients with cancer are at high risk of developing thrombosis. The pathogenesis of blood coagulation activation in cancer patients is complex involves both clinical and biological factors. The thrombotic risk varies according to the type of malignancy and its disease stage, and is increased by concomitant patient-related thrombotic risk factors (i.e. advanced age, infection, heart disease). In addition, the tumor cell-specific prothrombotic properties and the host cell inflammatory response dramatically contribute to the risk of thrombosis in these patients. The current development of risk assessment models to predict thrombosis in cancer is important for identifying high-risk patients and predispose the adequate preventive measures. In this review we provide an overview of the principal mechanisms of thrombosis in cancer, including clinical and biological risk factors, and a summary of risk assessment tools to predict thrombosis in the single patient.