Hypercoagulability and Thrombosis Risk in Prostate Cancer: The Role of Thromboelastography

[pjoshea13]

A new Canadian paper {1]. A soapbox paper, but one that resonates with me

Many years ago now, I ended up in ER with a double DVT (deep vein thrombosis) in my left leg ; fortunately below the knee. My doctor wanted me on 3 months warfarin (as a first time offender) + 3 months extra for cancer. I asked him why, if he knew I was at risk because of PCa, did he never test for blood clots?

The crazy answer was that there was no safe medication to prevent clots, so doctors never test for them. But if a patient gets a clot & doesn't die on the way to the ER, the "unsafe" meds become acceptable.

I did 3 months of warfarin & had another ultrasound. One DVT had cleared; the other hadn't. My doctor knew I wanted to get off warfarin. Without vitamin K, bones weaken & arteries accumulate calcium. He said the the second DVT might never clear. He agreed to me trying natokinase & monitoring with D-dimer. I have had no problems since.

I urge everyone to get a D-dimer test. There are three scenarios: zero, normal range & elevated. With elevated, there is probably a clot, although D-dimer might be elevated for other reasons - but cancer makes that less likely. With "normal", who knows? I shoot for zero, or as close to zero that the lab can go.

I use nattokinase before bed. The standard cap is 2,000 FUs and I need 8 caps. This keeps me as low as the lab can measure.

The body disolves clots with the enzyme plasmin. Necessarily, this is a slow process, since the clot might be essential. Nattokinase has a similar structure to plasmin but works faster. You wouldn't use it if you had just had a major accident, but otherwise, an elevated D-dimer suggests unwanted coagulation.

Having experienced the indignity of frequent trips to the "Coumadin (warfarin) Clinic", I have zero tolerance for "normal" D-dimer.

It has been said that circulating cancer cells (which are efficiently zapped by the immune system), must dock on a micro-clot to survive. IMO, nattokinate can prevent new bone mets. Even in men with multiple mets, there is value in preventing new mets. I have had mets at L5, T6 & S1, but have avoided being riddled with lesions, so far.

From the paper:

"Thrombosis is one of the leading causes of death in cancer.

"Cancer-induced hypercoagulable state contributes to thrombosis and is often overlooked.

"Prostate cancer may not be of high thrombogenic potential compared with other cancers, but its high prevalence brings it into focus.

"Pathological evidence for venous thromboembolisms (VTEs) in prostate cancer exists. Factors such as age, comorbidities, and therapies increase the VTE risk further. There is a need to systematically identify the risk of VTE in regard to patient-, cancer-, and treatment-related factors to risk stratify patients for better-targeted and individualized strategies to prevent VTE.

"Sensitive tests to enable such risk assessment are urgently required. There is sufficient evidence for the utility of thromboelastography (TEG) in cancer, but it is not yet part of the clinic and there is only limited data on the use of TEG in prostate cancer."

& so on.

Get that D-dimer test.

-Patrick

[1] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/364...

[No_stone_unturned]

Thank you Patrick!!!

Are you taking a Nattokinase supplement now? If so what brand?

[pjoshea13 in reply to No_stone_unturned]

I used a very expensive brand originally because I could get a steep discount. The brand stopped allowing that. So I moved to my second choice & the same thing happened.

So I tried a Swanson product & monitored D-dimer. Turns out I didn't need the expenive stuff.

Whatever you use, the D-dimer test is proof of efficacy.

-Patrick

[GreenStreet]

Good advice

[DesertDaisy]

Thank you for posting this Patrick. I'm so happy you are posting again. I'm not very good at reading the studies, so this post was great. Question, I see conflicting information online as to whether nattokinase thins the blood or not. Can you tell me what your opinion is as to whether it thins the blood or not?

[pjoshea13 in reply to DesertDaisy]

People tend to use the term "blood thinner" incorrectly. Anticoagulant drugs simply slow down the clotting process. The blood remaings as thick or thin as it was before.

Nattokinase doesn't even do that.

If there are no blood clots, the enzyme does nothing. If there are unwanted clots, the enzyme will act in the same way as plasmin, to clear the clots a bit faster.

The basis for a clot, fibrin, is produced from inactive fibrinogen. Fibrinogen can sometimes be elevated, for instance due to inflammation. Nattokinase can help lower fibrinogen into the normal range. This will not affect clotting time.

-Patrick

[KocoPr in reply to pjoshea13]

Thanks Patrick!

All i can read is the abstract on your link. Looks like it is a paywall or need to be a librarian or institution.

By the way d-dimer is a predictor of death from covid 19

A cohort study of 676 patients indicates D-dimer is a critical risk factor for the mortality of COVID-19

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/331...

Anyways this got me looking into my past D-Dimer results and plan to lowering it.

When i first got diagnosed with PCa in 2013 My naturopathic dr Dr Jim Belanger (Bastyr University graduate). Tested me for so many blood markers 23 vials every quarter. Some from LabCorp and 17 immune markers from Pharmasan Labs.

My D-Dimer numbers were high (normal range 0.00-0.49) my numbers as follows:

1st test 4-1-2014 0.74 his plan “serratia by Arthur Andrew) it is a Serrapeptase at 4 pills 4xday I finally must have reached my threshold and was throwing it up.

2nd test 6-4-2014 0.74 his change of plan (Heart Plus by Mathias Rath) pills a day (expensive )

3rd test 8-11-2014 0.53 definitely heading down (continue Heart Plus)

4th test 10-2-2014 0.48 in normal range.

I stopped seeing him as insurance changed and could not afford it.

So needless to say I thank you for this subject and will definitely ask for a D-Dimer test, and in mean time get some swanson natokinase.

Here is a good article on natokinase from nih 2018

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

“This review covers the major pharmacologic effects of NK with a focus on its clinical relevance to CVD. It outlines the advantages of NK and the outstanding issues pertaining to NK pharmacokinetics.”

“The most unique feature of NK is that, as a single compound, it possesses multiple CVD preventative and alleviating pharmacologic effects (namely, antithrombotic, antihypertensive, anticoagulant, anti-atherosclerotic, and neuroprotective effects). There are no other drugs or drug candidates with multiple pharmacologic properties similar to NK. “

[DesertDaisy]

Thank you for clearing that up for me!

[KocoPr]

another alternative is berberine to prevent coagulation.

ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articl...

Abstract:

“Berberine (BBR), a natural product, was reported to inhibit platelet aggregation; however, the molecular mechanisms remain unclear. This study aims to investigate the effects and mechanisms of BBR in inhibiting platelet activation and thrombus formation.”

“Conclusions: We reveal for the first time the possible targets and mechanisms of BBR and M2 in inhibiting platelet activation. Our research may support the future clinical application of BBR as an antiplatelet drug in the prevention or treatment of thrombotic diseases.”

A good way to get berberine is wild harvesting barberry stems and roots then use an ultrasonic cleaner with 50% alcohol to make a tincture.

Or buy the nano particle form from one planet nutrition out of Naples Florida and either take it by sprinkling it on food or like i do sometimes is dissolve it in 50% dmso/distilled water solution.