[Disseminated intravascular coagulation associated with solid cancers]

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a cancer-associated paraneoplastic syndrome. Solid cancers typically present with a clinical form of chronic DIC in which thrombocytopenia due to hypercoagulable activation is balanced with platelet production in the bone marrow over an extended period. Certain disseminated cancers also present with rapid-onset, severe DIC. Additionally, as a cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT), DIC is characterized by a hypercoagulable state, frequently leading to pathological thromboses such as deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, or cerebral infarction. If DIC is not diagnosed and treated promptly and appropriately, it can significantly worsen prognosis and quality of life in cancer patients. Therefore, it is essential to consider DIC during the routine clinical management of solid cancers. This review discusses the pathogenesis of DIC associated with solid cancers, as well as diagnostic methods and treatment methods and principles based on the recently published Clinical Practice Guidelines for management of DIC in Japan 2024 by the Japanese Society on Thrombosis and Hemostasis.