['The link between thrombosis and cancer has been well established. Levels of protein Z and thrombomodulin indirectly regulate thrombin productionl and therefore may affect cancer susceptibility.', 'The functional polymorphisms -13A/G and -33G/A in protein Z and thrombomodulin genes (respectively) influence transcription. The two polymorphisms were investigated in 160 oral cancer patients and 168 controls of equivalent age, gender and ethnicity using restriction fragment length polymorphism typing.', 'The frequency of the -13G allele, which results in lower expression of protein Z gene, was not significantly elevated in patients compared to controls (8.1% and 6.3%, respectively; odds ratio 1.35, 95% confidence interval 0.72-2.56). No carriers of the thrombomodulin low expression -33A allele were identified, underscoring the rarity of this allele in Caucasians.'] Are coagulation-related factors , thrombomodulin and protein Z , associated with risk for oral cancer?