The Full Form of PAF is Platelet Activating Factor.

Platelet-activating factor (PAF) is a lipid mediator that is well-known for its ability to cause platelet aggregation, inflammation, and allergic response at very low concentrations (approaching picomolar). This potent signaling compound is secreted from tumors, as well as from cells derived from carcinomas.¹ This raises several interesting questions. Does PAF contribute to tumor growth or development? What cells respond to PAF? Would intervention in PAF signaling affect tumor growth, angiogenesis, apoptosis, or metastasis? And what is PAF, anyway? Remarkably, PAF is a phospholipid that leaves the confines of the lipid bilayer, moving within and between cells, to activate specific G protein-coupled receptors on target cells. The following is a brief review of PAF, its synthesis, metabolism and signaling, and the evidence for, or against, role(s) in cancer.