Anticoagulation inhibits tumor cell–mediated release of platelet angiogenic proteins and diminishes platelet angiogenic response

Platelets are a reservoir for angiogenic proteins that are secreted in a differentially regulated process. Because of the propensity for clotting, patients with malignancy are often anticoagulated with heparin products, which paradoxically offer a survival benefit by an unknown mechanism. We hypothesized that antithrombotic agents alter the release of angiogenesis regulatory proteins from platelets. Our data revealed that platelets exposed to...