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Review
. 2023 Oct:230:144-151.
doi: 10.1016/j.thromres.2023.09.004. Epub 2023 Sep 13.

Breaking down tumor thrombus: Current strategies for medical management

Harsha Tathireddy  1 , Douglas Rice  2 , Kylee Martens  3 , Sudeep Shivakumar  4 , Joseph Shatzel  5
Affiliations
Review

Breaking down tumor thrombus: Current strategies for medical management

Harsha Tathireddy et al. Thromb Res. 2023 Oct.

Abstract

Tumor thrombus, the intravascular extension of tumor into adjacent blood vessels, is frequently encountered in patients with renal cell carcinoma and hepatocellular carcinoma, and often involves the abdominal vasculature including the renal vein, portal vein, and the inferior vena cava. While a bland thrombus is composed of platelets and fibrin, in contrast, a tumor thrombus refers to an organized collection of tumor cells. Though oftentimes detected incidentally on imaging, tumor thrombus may have significant clinical implications and can be challenging to differentiate from bland thrombus. Additionally, the optimal management of tumor thrombus, including the use of anticoagulation, remains poorly described. This review summarizes common causes of tumor thrombus, as well as its impact on staging, prognosis, and treatment.

Keywords: Anticoagulation; Bland thrombus; Cancer; Prognosis; Thrombosis; Tumor thrombus; Venous tumor thrombus.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: JJ. Shatzel reports receiving consulting fees from Aronora Inc. The remaining authors have nothing to disclose.

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