Summary: The incidence of thromboembolic complications in oncologic patients is 1 — 11%. The activation of coagulation in tumors may be caused by nonspecific (necrosis, inflammation, etc.) or specific factors (production of haemostatic active substances, e. g. "cancer procoagulans").
Haemostasis monitoring is important as malignancies predispose to prethrombotic state and the treatment of the tumor itself may further increase coagulation activity. The most frequent complications are deep vein lower extremity thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. Typical syndromes (Budd-Chiari syndrome, digital and cerebral microvascular arterial thrombosis, migratory superficial thrombophlebitis — Trousseau's syndrome, nonbacterial thrombotic marantic endocarditis, etc.) are less usual. To state the diagnosis of thrombosis and/or pulmonary embolism in oncologic patients may be difficult as the results of examinations can be influenced by the tumor. The oncologic patients with good prognosis should be treated in the same way as if they had no cancer, on the other hand the patients with generalized stage require an individual and/or palliative therapy.
Trombotic complications and pretrombotic states in patients with malignancies
