Treatment of deep vein thrombosis in cancer patients

Cancer patients are at increased risk of developing deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. People with end-stage cancer who receive palliative care have a particular predilection for venous thromboembolism. Personal characteristics, clinical conditions, and diagnostic and therapeutic procedures typical of this population favour the formation of blood clots in venous vessels. To improve the quality of life and reduce mortality due to thromboembolic events among cancer patients, it is recommended that appropriate VTE treatment methods are selected. Thanks to this, pain, swelling, shortness of breath, and shock can be effectively eliminated, and the number of premature deaths due to thromboembolic causes can be reduced. The treatment of choice in cancer patients is anticoagulation with low molecular weight heparin administered subcutaneously. Moreover, the latest clinical studies indicate the effectiveness and safety of therapy with oral anticoagulants such as edoxaban and rivaroxaban in this group of patients. However, additional disease burden beyond malignancy requires deviations from the general principles of anticoagulant treatment. In such situations, the following apply: vitamin K antagonists or unfractionated heparin. Invasive thrombolytic methods in the form of transcatheter administration of alteplase into the clot are also used. However, this procedure depends on the expected survival time in the context of cancer as the underlying disease. This publication presents a review of the literature on the treatment of deep vein thrombosis in cancer patients.