Abstract
Platelets play a role in tumor angiogenesis and growth and are the main transporters of several angiogenesis regulators. Here, we aimed to determine the levels of angiogenesis regulators and epithelial-mesenchymal transition factors sequestered by circulating platelets in breast cancer patients and age-matched healthy controls. Platelet pellets (PP) and platelet-poor plasma (PPP) were collected by routine protocols. Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB), thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1), platelet factor 4 (PF4), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Angiogenesis-associated expression of VEGF (2.1 pg/106 platelets versus 0.9 pg/106 platelets, P < 0.001), PF4 (21.2 ng/106 platelets versus 10.2 ng/106 platelets, P < 0.001), PDGF-BB (42.9 pg/106 platelets versus 19.1 pg/106 platelets, P < 0.001), and TGF-β1 (15.3 ng/106 platelets versus 4.3 ng/106 platelets, P < 0.001) differed in the PP samples of cancer and control subjects. In addition, protein concentrations were associated with clinical characteristics (P < 0.05). Circulating platelets in breast cancer sequester higher levels of PF4, VEGF, PDGF-BB, and TGF-β1, suggesting a possible target for early diagnosis. VEGF, PDGF, and TGF-β1 concentrations in platelets may be associated with prognosis.
Highlights
Breast cancer is a common malignancy in women and has a high mortality rate [1]
There are no predictive markers for metastasis or prognosis, more attention has been paid to early detection of breast cancer metastasis
We found that the level of Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), platelet-derived growth factor BB (PDGF-BB), and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in platelet was associated with clinical characteristics (Table 1)
Summary
Breast cancer is a common malignancy in women and has a high mortality rate [1]. There are no predictive markers for metastasis or prognosis, more attention has been paid to early detection of breast cancer metastasis.The oncology community has long been interested in biological markers for tumor surveillance, early recurrence, and therapeutic efficacy. There are many regulatory proteins and proangiogenic endothelial cell growth factors in platelets, such as VEGF, PDGF, PF4, TSP-1, TGF-β, and bFGF [15,16,17]. Most of these proteins are released by platelets directly into the tumor microenvironment [18]. It has been reported that VEGF was expressed in cancer patients’ platelets [20] It is unclear whether coexpression of multiple angiogenesis regulators in platelets is
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