Venous thromboembolism and prognosis in cancer

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a frequent complication of malignancy, and its incidence has increased markedly in recent years. VTE itself can directly lead to patient mortality, and is the second leading cause of death in patients with cancer. Furthermore, emerging data suggest that activation of coagulation in malignancy is integrally linked with tumor biology, particularly with angiogenesis. The development of the clinical hypercoagulable state is also linked with adverse prognosis in patients with cancer, including patients receiving systemic chemotherapy. This review focuses on the clinical evidence documenting a link between VTE and adverse short-term and long-term prognosis in patients with cancer. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.