Effects of Chemoendocrine Therapy on the Coagulation‐Fibrinolytic Systems in Patients with Advanced Breast Cancer

In order to predict a hypercoagulable state in patients with advanced breast cancer receiving medical treatment, the effects of Chemoendocrine therapy on the coagulation‐flbrinolytic systems were investigated prospectively. The patients were randomly divided into two groups. The ACT group had 38 patients, who received 20 mg/m(2) adriamycin (ADM) i.v. on days 1 and 8, 100 mg cyclophosphamide (CPA) p.o. on days 1–14, and 20 mg tamoxifen (TAM) p.o. daily. The ACM group had 44 patients, who received 20 mg/m(2) ADM i.v. on days 1 and 8, 100 mg CPA p.o. on days 1–14 and 1200 mg medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) p.o. daily. The treatment was repeated every 28 days until there was evidence of progressive disease or until the full ADM dose (550 mg/m(2)) had been given. The following 9 hematologic parameters were measured every 4 weeks: alpha 2‐plasmin inhibitor plasmin complex (PIC), anti‐thrombin‐III (AT‐III), D‐dimer (Dd), fibrinogen (Fg), plasminogen (Pg), protein C (PC), thrombin‐antithrombin‐III complex (TAT‐III), tissue plasminogen activator (t‐PA), and factor × (FX). Compared to the ACT group, patients in the ACM group showed significantly higher values of AT‐III and PC, which exceeded the normal ranges. The levels of Pg, t‐PA and FX were significantly higher in the ACM group than in the ACT group, but were still within the normal ranges. The levels of TAT‐III, Dd and PIC decreased in the ACT group and were unchanged in the ACM group after the start of treatment. Fg remained unchanged in both groups after the start of treatment. One patient in the ACM group had thrombophlebitis of the lower extremities with high levels of TAT‐III, Dd and PIC and a decrease of Fg, but her condition returned to normal after reduction of the MPA dose. Although these data are not directly indicative of a hypercoagulable state in patients receiving Chemoendocrine therapy, changes in AT‐III, TAT‐III, Dd and PIC should be monitored carefully when this type of treatment is given.