[Hemostatic abnormalities of the patients with cancer. Clinical significance and fibrinolytic properties of the cancer tissues].

Hemostatic function of 129 patients with cancer of the digestive system was studied on the clinical point of view. Activator (A) and inhibitor (I) of fibrinolysis of 94 cancer tissues were determined by Malone's method. The following results were obtained: Latent DIC state was observed in the patients with advanced stage. Great majority of the patients with PT less than or equal to 85%, antithrombin III (AT III) less than or equal to 25 mg/dl, FDP greater than or equal to 5 micrograms/ml, alpha 1 antitrypsin (alpha 1 AT) greater than or equal to 340 mg/dl, plasminogen (plg) less than or equal to 10 mg/dl and alpha 2 plasmin inhibitor (alpha 2 PI) less than or equal to 80%, were eligible only for non-curative operation on the preoperative evaluations. Persistent decreases in PT, AT III, plg and alpha 2 PI mean poor prognosis, which were seen within about 6 months prior to death. In gastric cancer patients, these abnormalities showed correlations with serum choline-esterase, albumin and ferritin, and post-operative changes of these parameters suggested the recurrence. There were I activities in the cancer tissues which were scarcely detected in the normal tissues. Some differences in A/I ratios were observed on types of organs involved, histological types and differentiative degrees. There were no correlations between the hemostatic state and A/I ratios. These results indicate the clinical usefulness of the hemostatic functions of the cancer patients and the fibrinolytic properties of the cancer tissues, and also suggested that tumor bearing state, liver function and non-specific stimulating mechanisms participate in the appearance of the abnormalities.