Circulating tumour cells and hypercoagulability: a lethal relationship in metastatic breast cancer

Purpose Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are a marker of poor prognosis and are associated with increased risk of venous thromboembolism in metastatic breast cancer (MBC). We aimed to determine if the presence of CTCs and plasma markers of hypercoagulability [thrombin–antithrombin III (TAT), fibrinogen and d-dimer] are biomarkers of survival in MBC.