Literature review: Coagulation disorders in dogs with cancer

Abstract

Cancer represents one of the major causes of death in dogs. Approximately 50 % of all deaths in dogs over the age of 10 is due to cancer and about one in four dogs will develop cancer during their life. This illustrates the importance of researching, studying, and understanding the different aspects of cancer and how it affects different organ systems. Hemostatic abnormalities associated with cancer could be thrombocytosis and thrombosis or bleeding disorders such as thrombocytopenia and DIC and can worsen outcomes for these patients. The hemostatic alterations could either be due to the tumor cells itself, result of cancer therapy or secondary organ system damage.