Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common disease complication in cancer patients and the second cause of death after cancer progression. VTE management and prophylaxis are critical in cancer patients, but effective therapy can be challenging because these patients are at higher risk of VTE recurrence and bleeding under anticoagulant treatment. Numerous published studies report inconsistent implementation of existing evidence-based clinical practice guidelines (CPG), including underutilization of thromboprophylaxis, and wide variability in clinical practice patterns across different countries and various practitioners. This review aims to summarize the 2019 ITAC-CME evidence-based CPGs for treatment and prophylaxis of cancer-related VTE, which include recommendations on the use of direct oral anticoagulants specifically in cancer patients. The guidelines underscore the gravity of developing VTE in cancer and recommend the best approaches for treating and preventing cancer-associated VTE, while minimizing unnecessary or over-treatment. Greater adherence to the 2019 ITAC guidelines could substantially decrease the burden of VTE and improve survival of cancer patients.
Anticoagulants/administration & dosage , Neoplasms/complications , Practice Guidelines as Topic/standards , Venous Thromboembolism/drug therapy , Administration, Oral , Anticoagulants/adverse effects , Consensus , Guideline Adherence/standards , Hemorrhage/chemically induced , Humans , Neoplasms/blood , Neoplasms/diagnosis , Recurrence , Risk Factors , Societies, Medical/standards , Treatment Outcome , Venous Thromboembolism/blood , Venous Thromboembolism/diagnosis , Venous Thromboembolism/etiology
Pancreatic cancer (PC) is a devastating malignancy with an overall 5-year survival of 8% for all stages combined. Most of the PC patients diagnosed have an advanced disease (40%) or metastatic stage (40%), which eliminates surgery as a potentially curative treatment. The disease course is often complicated by venous thromboembolism (VTE) events, which per se account for significant morbidity and mortality, with significantly worsen survival. PC is associated with the highest risk of VTE among all cancer patients. We review the literature data to address the incidence and clinical outcomes of VTE in PC patients. VTE incidence varies from 5 to 41% according to epidemiological studies and is as high as 57% in postmortem series. Since 2013, international clinical practice guidelines recommend primary thromboprophylaxis with a grade 1B level of evidence as an adjuvant therapy in advanced PC. A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials investigating the benefit and risk of low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWH) in ambulatory advanced PC patients under chemotherapy showed that the incidence of VTE was 2.1% in patients treated with LMWH and 11.2% in controls (risk ratio, 0.18; 95% CI, 0.083-0.39; P<0.0001). In conclusion, improved earlier diagnosis and effective management of VTE, a frequent and life-threatening complication in PC, is warranted to improve PC patient outcomes.
Pancreatic Neoplasms/complications , Venous Thromboembolism/etiology , Anticoagulants/therapeutic use , Early Diagnosis , Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight/therapeutic use , Humans , Incidence , Meta-Analysis as Topic , Pancreatic Neoplasms/blood , Postthrombotic Syndrome/etiology , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Prevalence , Retrospective Studies , Survival Rate , Thrombophilia/drug therapy , Thrombophilia/etiology , Thrombophilia/physiopathology , Venous Thromboembolism/diagnosis , Venous Thromboembolism/epidemiology , Venous Thromboembolism/prevention & control
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent and serious complication in cancer patients, and the second leading cause of death in this setting. Cancer patients are also more likely to present recurrent VTE and major bleeding while taking anticoagulants. Management of VTE in these patients is always challenging and remains suboptimal worldwide. In 2013, the International Initiative on Thrombosis and Cancer (ITAC-CME) released international guidelines for the treatment and prophylaxis of VTE and central venous catheter-associated thrombosis, based on a systematic review of the literature ranked according to the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation scale. An update of these ITAC-CME consensus guidelines, including the use of direct oral anticoagulants, was recently published. In this review, we summarize these updated guidelines. Better adherence to the international guidelines, involving an adequate educational and active implementation strategies, will substantially decrease the burden of VTE and allow to increase survival in cancer patients.
Neoplasms/complications , Smartphone , Venous Thromboembolism/etiology , Venous Thromboembolism/therapy , Humans , Internationality , Practice Guidelines as Topic , Venous Thromboembolism/prevention & control
