Abstract
The outcome of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer is worse than in patients
without cancer, with a higher risk of recurrences, bleeding and death. However, these
risks appear to vary depending on the cancer type. While in some tumours the risk
of recurrences outweighs the risk of bleeding, in others the risk of major bleeding
(MB) during the anticoagulation markedly exceeds the risk of a recurrent event. Balancing
these risks could be helpful to tailor the management of cancer-associated thrombosis
(CAT) and improve outcomes. In this article, published data from recent randomized
clinical trials as well as from some large registries that have reported separated
outcomes of CAT depending on cancer type were reviewed. A careful balance of the risk
of recurrences and MB events could provide useful insights for clinicians for individualizing
treatment strategies in order to improve the outcomes of CAT, as well as for the design
of future clinical trials.
Keywords
cancer - venous thromboembolism - recurrences - major bleeding - anticoagulation
