Heparinas no tratamento do câncer: uma revisão bibliográfica

Abstract

Since its discovery, heparin has been studied and draws attention to its anticoagulant properties. More than a century later, the amount of information about the structure, action mechanisms interactions and different types is vast. With the development of new diseases and constant research on more effective forms of treatment appearing each day, it was observed that heparin and its analogues, like the unfractionated version and the low molecular weight version, have a promising effect as antitumor and angiogenic agents. Several studies have been published addressing the topic, which still generates a lot of controversy among researchers and, therefore, the present work aims to review some of the most recent publications in the literature to allow a better understanding about the relationship between heparin and cancer and the paths that still need to be covered.