 |
|
Symptomatic Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients Treated With Chemotherapy
An Underestimated Phenomenon
Hans-Martin M. B. Otten, MD, PhD;
Joost Mathijssen, MD;
Hugo ten Cate, MD, PhD;
Marcel Soesan, MD;
Marijke Inghels, MD;
Dick J. Richel, MD, PhD;
Martin H. Prins, MD, PhD
Arch Intern Med. 2004;164:190-194.
Background The exact incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in cancer patients is unknown, partly because of confounding factors. Prophylactic treatment is warranted in surgical patients with cancer because of a high incidence of VTE. We performed a retrospective study to evaluate if the same applies for cancer patients treated with chemotherapy.
Methods The medical records of 206 consecutive patients with malignancy, treated with chemotherapy, were identified. The kind of malignancy and chemotherapeutic treatment were recorded, as was the date of treatment. The records were reviewed for other risk factors for VTE, and were searched for proved deep venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism.
Results Of those 206 patients, 15 (7.3%) had proved VTE during or within 3 months after chemotherapeutic treatment. The annual incidence was 10.9%. The incidence of VTE was specifically high in the 39 patients treated with a combination of fluorouracil and leucovorin calcium because of colorectal cancer (6 [15%] of the patients were affected). The occurrence of VTE in the latter group of patients was not influenced by factors such as surgery, central venous catheters, or tumor load.
Conclusions The annual incidence of VTE in patients treated with chemotherapy was high, specifically in patients with colorectal cancer treated with fluorouracil-leucovorin. If these observations are confirmed, trials to evaluate the use of prophylactic anticoagulant treatment should be conducted.
From the Departments of Medical Oncology (Drs Otten and Richel) and Vascular Medicine (Dr Mathijssen), Academic Medical Center, Amsterdam, the Netherlands; the Department of Internal Medicine, Slotervaart Hospital, Amsterdam (Drs Otten, Soesan, and Inghels); and the Departments of Hematology (Dr ten Cate) and Clinical Epidemiology (Dr Prins), Academic Hospital Maastricht, Maastricht, the Netherlands. The authors have no relevant financial interest in this article.
 CiteULike  Connotea  Del.icio.us  Digg  Reddit  Technorati
What's this?
THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES
|
Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients Undergoing Major Surgery
Osborne et al.
Ann. Surg. Oncol. 2008;15:3567-3578.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Non-metastatic manifestations of cancer in the chest
Dalal
Imaging 2008;20:194-204.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Review of the Relationship Between Venous Thromboembolism, Malignancy and Its Treatment
Brown and Herrington
Journal of Pharmacy Practice 2008;21:126-137.
ABSTRACT
The Risk of Venous Thromboembolism in Patients with Cancer
Khorana et al.
Am Soc Clin Oncol Ed Book 2008;2008:240-248.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Unsuspected Pulmonary Emboli in Cancer Patients: Clinical Correlates and Relevance
O'Connell et al.
JCO 2006;24:4928-4932.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Thrombotic complications in childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a meta-analysis of 17 prospective studies comprising 1752 pediatric patients
Caruso et al.
Blood 2006;108:2216-2222.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Proximal Deep Vein Thrombosis After Hip Replacement for Oncologic Indications
Nathan et al.
JBJS 2006;88:1066-1070.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Colorectal Cancer: Incidence and Effect on Survival
Alcalay et al.
JCO 2006;24:1112-1118.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Deep vein thrombosis in cancer: the scale of the problem and approaches to management
Falanga and Zacharski
Ann Oncol 2005;16:696-701.
ABSTRACT
| FULL TEXT
Tamoxifen: Preventing Breast Cancer and Placing the Risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Perspective
Goldhaber
Circulation 2005;111:539-541.
FULL TEXT
|
