Management of venous thromboembolism in patients with lung cancer: a state-of-the-art review

What is it about?

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is common and life-threatening in patients with lung cancer. Management of VTE is critical for patients with lung cancer. Risk assessment, thromboprophylaxis and treatment of VTE constitute the core issues of VTE management in patients with lung cancer. Although its overall principles should follow recommendations in authoritative guidelines, VTE management in patients with lung cancer may be slightly special in some specific aspects. Despite the extensive validation of Khorana score for patients with all cancer types, its value in VTE risk assessment of patients with lung cancer is controversial. It is important to determine the VTE risk assessment score that can accurately and specifically assess the VTE risk of patients with lung cancer. Clinical practice patterns of thromboprophylaxis may vary by cancer types, since different sites of cancer may have different levels of VTE risk. To understand the thromboprophylaxis specific for lung cancer is of vital importance for patients with lung cancer. Although it is essential to comply with authoritative guidelines, the duration and timing of initiation of thromboprophylaxis in surgical patients with lung cancer may need further study.

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Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Photo by CDC on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Future studies should focus on exploring and vali- dating VTE risk assessment score specific for lung cancer, determining thromboprophylaxis pattern specific for lung cancer and application of newly developed antico- agulant to the treatment of established VTE in patients with lung cancer.

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