New findings that highlight the challenges of managing thromboembolic events in patients being treated for cancer were released at the ESMO 2012 Congress of the European Society for Medical Oncology in Vienna.

Venous thromboembolism causes symptoms in about 3 to 4% of cancer patients whose chemotherapy drugs are delivered via a central venous catheter, comments Dr. Fausto Roila, from Medical Oncology Department, Terni, Italy, Chair of the ESMO 2012 Supportive Care Track. “When asymptomatic patients are considered, these events affect about 12-18% of patients who have central venous catheters.”

Efficacy of anticoagulation for cancer patients suggests guidelines should be reconsidered

Anticoagulants are effective for preventing deep vein thrombosis in cancer patients who have a central venous catheter in place for the delivery of chemotherapy, the results of a new French study reveal.

The risk of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) is higher among cancer patients than among the general population. Furthermore, patients undergoing chemotherapy often have central venous access devices implanted. These devices are associated with deep vein thrombosis, which can lead to a pulmonary embolism and in some cases, death. But whether an anticoagulant prophylaxis is needed for patients with cancer with a central venous catheter is a controversial subject.

Dr Sandrine Lavau-Denes, from Centre Hospitalier Universitaire à Limoges, and colleagues performed a phase III prospective, randomized trial in 407 patients and found that anticoagulation significantly reduced the incidence of catheter-related DVT.