Figure 1.
Platelets can support and encourage cancer cell metastasis by (A) shielding cancer cells from immune cells during vascular dissemination, (B) arresting cancer cells on the wall of a blood vessel, and (C) releasing growth factors that allow for extravasation of cancer cells through the endothelial cell and extracellular matrix barrier. (Key - TGFβ - transforming tumor growth factor β; MMP - matrix metalloproteases; VEGF - vascular endothelial growth factor; PDGF - platelet derived growth factor; ADP - adenosine diphosphate; ATP - adenosine triphosphate).