Dabigatran's anti-metastatic properties for improved long-term cancer prognosis: A critical review.

Dabigatran, a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), has been investigated for its potential anti-metastatic effects in cancer treatment. This systematic review examines the evidence concerning dabigatran's impact on cancer cell proliferation and migration. Studies suggest that dabigatran inhibits thrombin-induced proliferation in some cancer cell lines, including colorectal cancer (CRC) and oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC). However, its effects on metastasis are inconsistent across cancer types. While brain metastasis models show that dabigatran reduces tumor cell extravasation by inhibiting thrombin-mediated clot formation, triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) models report no significant effect on tumor growth or metastasis.