Hemostatic biomarkers: Future prospects and challenges

Abstract

Biomarkers are useful parameters for the detection of certain diseases or their pathophysiological effects. The applications of hemostatic biomarkers in clinical practice are limited by many factors although tremendous works have been done in this area. The associations between candidate hemostatic biomarkers and various clinical conditions have been studied and found promising, for example, in applying risk estimation of certain complications or disease occurrence. It is important to select the most suitable hemostatic biomarkers to be incorporated in the standard practices. The examples of various studies on hemostatic parameters are discussed here to gain insight on this topic, highlighting the advantages of applying these potential biomarkers in clinical practice. One of the good examples of hemostatic biomarkers that had been successfully included in clinical practice is D-dimer (DD), which is useful as a predictive tool for diagnosis of venous thromboembolism (VTE). The clinical conditions potentially benefitted from these biomarkers include cardiovascular, cerebrovascular, and malignant disorders, for example, in predicting the clinical outcomes postthrombotic episode or for risk estimation of acute vascular event. The challenges remained to be overcome especially in determining the usefulness of these hemostatic markers in various clinical conditions whether as a diagnostic tool or prognostic indicator or for assessment of treatment response. The application of these hemostatic biomarkers in medical practice should be in parallel with the best possible management and treatment strategies in order to improve the disease outcomes.