Venous thromboembolic disease in cancer. Optimisation of the use of antithrombotic agents

Abstract

Venous thromoboembolism is one of the most common complications in cancer patients and may have serious consequences. At present, most clinical oncologists report using thromboprophylaxis in less than 5% of patients. One of the possible reasons for this limited use is the lack of oncology specific guidelines. In effect, while there are excellent guidelines for optimising the use of antithrombotic agents to prevent and treat thromboembolism, they must be adapted to the concrete context of cancer patients. The present review explores how different situations affect cancer patients and their risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), and evaluates the situations in which antithrombotic agents should be administered to treat and prevent VTE.