Grafetstätter M, et al. - While enhanced platelet activation and procoagulant state may drive the progression of lung cancer and metastases, researchers assessed whether pre-diagnostic platelet activation and coagulation biomarkers are associated with the risk of lung cancer in the prospective EPIC-Heidelberg study using a case-cohort design. For this investigation, levels of fibrinogen, soluble glycoprotein (sGP) IIb/IIIa, soluble P-selectin (sP-selectin), soluble thrombomodulin (sTM), and thrombopoietin (TPO) were measured in random subcohort baseline plasma samples (n=2,480) and lung cancer incidents (n=190). In multivariable adjusted Cox regression models, fibrinogen and sP-Selectin were significantly linked to lung cancer risk. The study findings show that increased activation of platelets and a pro-coagulative state contribute to carcinogenesis of the lung.