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An ultrastructural, biochemical and viscoelastic investigation into the hypercoagulable state of breast cancer patients and the implications for the disease
Dissertation (MsC (Human Physiology))--University of Pretoria, 2019.
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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University of Pretoria
2026
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| _version_ | 1867613525611905024 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author2 | Bester, Megan J. |
| author_browse | Bester, Megan J. |
| author_facet | Bester, Megan J. |
| collection | Thesis |
| dc_rights_str_mv | © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. |
| description | Dissertation (MsC (Human Physiology))--University of Pretoria, 2019. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/110465 |
| institution | University of Pretoria (South Africa) |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:37:32.074Z |
| license_str | Other — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| publishDateRange | 2026 |
| publishDateSort | 2026 |
| publisher | University of Pretoria |
| publisherStr | University of Pretoria |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UPSpace — University of Pretoria Institutional Repository |
| spelling | oai:repository.up.ac.za:2263/110465 An ultrastructural, biochemical and viscoelastic investigation into the hypercoagulable state of breast cancer patients and the implications for the disease Bester, Megan J. julien.nunesgonclaves@gmail.com Venter, C. Nunes Gonçalves, Julien UCTD Susatainable Development Goals (SDGs) hypercoagulation Breast Cancer clotting Thromboelastography scanning electron microscopy Dissertation (MsC (Human Physiology))--University of Pretoria, 2019. Breast cancer patients are at an increased risk for thrombotic events such as deepvein thrombosis (DVT) and venous thromboembolism (VTE), drastically affecting their chance of survival and quality of life post-treatment. It has been proposed that this increased risk is caused by cancer associated inflammation-induced hypercoagulation, a key factor involved in thrombus formation. This study utilized microscopy and rheological techniques to examine coagulation components during clot formation, in order to obtain a better understanding of how changes to these components may increase thrombus formation and thus the risk of thrombotic events. Whole blood from treatment-naïve breast cancer patients were compared to whole blood from healthy controls. Routine clinical tests were used to obtain an overall clinical picture of each participant, and these showed no useful trend which could identify patients at an increased thrombotic risk. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM), revealed that red blood cells (RBCs) from patients showed more irregular surface membranes, increased agglutination and eryptosis when compared to healthy controls. Platelets also appeared to be further activated and fibrin fiber formation was increased. Thromboelastography (TEG®) was used to study the changes in clot dynamics during coagulation. Results showed that clots form faster in breast cancer patients, with increased strength and rigidity, thus revealing the hypercoagulable nature of whole blood in this patient group. The results in this study have revealed the marked differences in coagulation and associated blood components between healthy controls and treatment-naïve breast cancer patients. They provide a greater understanding of clot formation dynamics and has shown that even in a small sample size, breast cancer patients are at an increased risk of thrombotic events, traceable through rheological techniques. This justifies further investigation into the utilization of these techniques in a clinical, point-of-care setting, in order to increase the chance of survival and quality of life of these patients post-treatment Physiology MsC (Human Physiology) Unrestricted Faculty of Health Sciences SDG-03: Good health and well-being 2026-06-08T09:41:35Z 2026-06-08T09:41:35Z 2019-04 2018-11 Dissertation * A2019 http://hdl.handle.net/2263/110465 N/A en © 2025 University of Pretoria. All rights reserved. The copyright in this work vests in the University of Pretoria. No part of this work may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, without the prior written permission of the University of Pretoria. application/pdf University of Pretoria |
| spellingShingle | UCTD Susatainable Development Goals (SDGs) hypercoagulation Breast Cancer clotting Thromboelastography scanning electron microscopy An ultrastructural, biochemical and viscoelastic investigation into the hypercoagulable state of breast cancer patients and the implications for the disease |
| title | An ultrastructural, biochemical and viscoelastic investigation into the hypercoagulable state of breast cancer patients and the implications for the disease |
| title_full | An ultrastructural, biochemical and viscoelastic investigation into the hypercoagulable state of breast cancer patients and the implications for the disease |
| title_fullStr | An ultrastructural, biochemical and viscoelastic investigation into the hypercoagulable state of breast cancer patients and the implications for the disease |
| title_full_unstemmed | An ultrastructural, biochemical and viscoelastic investigation into the hypercoagulable state of breast cancer patients and the implications for the disease |
| title_short | An ultrastructural, biochemical and viscoelastic investigation into the hypercoagulable state of breast cancer patients and the implications for the disease |
| title_sort | ultrastructural biochemical and viscoelastic investigation into the hypercoagulable state of breast cancer patients and the implications for the disease |
| topic | UCTD Susatainable Development Goals (SDGs) hypercoagulation Breast Cancer clotting Thromboelastography scanning electron microscopy |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/2263/110465 |