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Review
. 2016 Apr;140 Suppl 1(Suppl 1):S18-20.
doi: 10.1016/S0049-3848(16)30093-7.

Incidental venous thromboembolic events in cancer patients: what we know in 2016

Howard A Liebman  1 , Casey O'Connell  2
Affiliations
Review

Incidental venous thromboembolic events in cancer patients: what we know in 2016

Howard A Liebman et al. Thromb Res. 2016 Apr.

Abstract

Cancer patients are at high risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Previous reports on the epidemiology and incident of thrombotic complications in cancer patients are based upon documented symptomatic events. However, the frequent use of contrast enhanced computerized tomography for cancer staging has documented a high incidence of unsuspected venous thrombosis (DVT), pulmonary embolism (PE) and abdominal visceral thrombosis in cancer patients. Recent studies focusing on the findings of incidental PE when compared to symptomatic PE find no significant difference in pulmonary distribution of clots, incidence of VTE recurrence or survival in these patients. Based upon these studies, current guidelines recommend treatment for incidental PE as recommended for symptomatic PE.

Keywords: Cancer; Computerized tomography; Pulmonary embolism; Venous thromboembolism.

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Conflict of interest statement

Conflict of interest statement

Howard Liebman MD - Research support: Bristol Myers Squibb, Boehringer-Ingelheim, Rigel Consulting: Janssen; Casey O’Connell MD - Research support: Novartis, Astex Pharmaceuticals

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