RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Prevention of venous thromboembolism in the cancer surgery patient
JF Cleveland Clinic Journal of Medicine
JO Cleve Clin J Med
FD Cleveland Clinic
SP S17
OP S26
VO 75
IS 4 suppl 3
A1 Amir K. Jaffer
A1 Alex C. Spyropoulos
A1 Daniel J. Brotman
A1 Alpesh N. Amin
A1 Steven B. Deitelzweig
A1 Sylvia C. McKean
YR 2008
UL http://www.ccjm.org/content/75/4_suppl_3/S17.abstract
AB Cancer patients, especially those undergoing surgery for cancer, are at extremely high risk for developing venous thromboembolism (VTE), even with appropriate thromboprophylaxis. Anticoagulant prophylaxis in cancer surgery patients has reduced the incidence of VTE events by approximately one-half in placebo-controlled trials, and extended prophylaxis (for up to 1 month) has also significantly reduced out-of-hospital VTE events in clinical trials in this population. Clinical trials show no difference between low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and unfractionated heparin in VTE prophylaxis efficacy or bleeding risk in this population, although the incidence of heparin-induced thrombocytopenia is lower with LMWH. The risk-benefit profile of low-dose anticoagulant prophylaxis appears to be favorable even in many cancer patients undergoing neurosurgery, for whom pharmacologic VTE prophylaxis has been controversial because of bleeding risks.