Thromboembolism in Patients with Cancer

One hundred and forty years ago, Armand Trousseau described phlegmasia alba dolens as a sign of internal malignancy. Nowadays, it is commonly believed that the presence malignant tumaor increases the risk of venous thromboembolism (i.e deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism) However, cancer is usually associated with other factors such as old age, extensive surgery,immobility, etc., which may predispose to thromboembolism. The majority of thrombotic events occur in the venous system; the incidence of arterial thrombosis is much lower.Recurrent thromboembolism in cancer patients frequently and diminishes the quality of life of the patients.Furthermore, if the thromboembolism is massive, destipte of early and aggressive treatment, it may result in death. In this article, we review thromboembolic complications in cancer patients.