Cancer team finds hope in blood drugs

The work at Hull University suggests anti-coagulants could lower the levels of tissue factor, a protein involved in blood clotting, secreted by tumours.

Doctors have previously noted that patients treated with anti-coagulants seem to do better but until now no one knew why.

The team studied the effects of doses of the anti-coagulants on pancreatic cancer cells – an extremely aggressive cancer with high levels of tissue factor – and four other cancer cell types.

Cancer specialist Anthony Maraveya, of Castle Hill Hospital in Hull, said: “What we have here is experimental evidence that a drug that is already known to be safe in humans as an anti-coagulant may also suppress tumour growth directly and reduce resistance to treatment.”

The research was part-funded by the Castle Hill Hospital Charity Fund.