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Abstract
Cancer is a hypercoagulable state. Thrombosis is the second leading cause of death in cancer, and development of thrombosis confers a worse prognosis for patients with cancer. Conventional anticoagulants are effective at preventing thrombosis (thromboprophylaxis) in patients with cancer, yet thromboprophylaxis is not safe for routine administration in cancer care. A biomarker to identify patients with cancer at risk to develop thrombosis would allow personalized thromboprophylaxis for those in need, while sparing the risks of anticoagulation for those not at elevated risk to develop thrombosis. My central hypothesis is that the procoagulant phenotype of circulating cancer cells is regulated by physical parameters.