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Safety and efficacy of primary thromboprophylaxis in cancer patients

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Abstract

Cancer is often complicated by venous thromboembolism (VTE), a common and potentially fatal complication associated with poor prognosis in these patients. An increased incidence of VTE is being observed due to the advanced age of cancer patients, the thrombogenic effect of novel drugs and advances in the diagnosis of related complications. In this review, we look at five different risk groups of cancer patients with an increased probability of developing VTE, including hospitalized patients undergoing chemotherapy, patients undergoing a surgical procedure, ambulatory patients undergoing chemotherapy, patients with a central venous access and patients receiving antiangiogenic drugs or anticoagulant therapy due to previous chronic diseases. The aim of this review is to summarize the most important clinical evidence reported to date on the suitability of primary thromboprophylaxis to cancer patients. Recommendations have drawn up for each group based on current evidence and guidelines to facilitate decision-making in clinical practice.

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Acknowledgments

The authors wish to thank Dr. Fernando Sánchez-Barbero and HealthCo for his support in the preparation of the first draft of this manuscript. The Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM) provided financial support for medical writing services.

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Correspondence to I. García Escobar.

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The study has been performed in accordance with the ethical standards of the Declaration of Helsinki and its later amendments. This article does not contain any studies with human participants or animals performed by any of the authors.

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Additional informed consent was obtained from all individual participants for whom identifying information is included in this article.

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García Escobar, I., Antonio Rebollo, M., García Adrián, S. et al. Safety and efficacy of primary thromboprophylaxis in cancer patients. Clin Transl Oncol 19, 1–11 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-016-1500-6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12094-016-1500-6

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