Abstract
Alongside their conventional roles in thrombosis and hemostasis, platelets have long
been associated with nonhemostatic pathologies, including tumor cell metastasis. Numerous
mechanistic studies have since demonstrated that the direct binding of platelets to
intravascular tumor cells promotes key hallmarks of metastasis, including survival
in circulation and tumor cell arrest at secondary sites. However, platelets also interact
with nonmalignant cells that make up the stromal and immune compartments within both
primary and metastatic tumors. This review will first provide a brief historical perspective
on platelet contributions to metastatic disease before discussing the emerging roles
that platelets play in creating microenvironments that likely support successful tumor
cell metastasis.
Keywords
cancer - platelets - metastasis - pre-metastatic niche
