[Deep vein thrombosis in patients with cancer]

Malignancy can cause deep vein thrombosis(DVT)through: extrinsic compression; venous stasis due to intravenous invasion; secondary factors such as prolonged bed rest; and malignancy-induced abnormal coagulation and fibrinolysis. Various factors secreted from malignant tumors can reportedly cause systemic hypercoagulation, and tumor cells activate monocytes and macrophages to release tumor necrotic factor(TNF)-a and interleukin(IL)-6, which damage endothelial cells. Of the various onset factors for DVT, malignancy accounts for 15.6% in Japan, but discovery of malignancy at the onset of DVT or during follow-up is not rare, and malignancy is often involved with recurrent DVT or idiopathic DVT without a clear onset factor. Thorough testing must therefore be performed in patients with idiopathic or recurrent DVT while keeping malignancy in mind. As cancer patients are at risk for DVT, preventative management including hemorrhagic complication prevention is also required during surgery, chemotherapy, hormone therapy or prolonged bed rest.