Increased Risk of Deep-Vein Thrombosis in Lung Cancer

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Patients: Presented at ATS

http://www.docguide.com/news/content.ns ... 7700521A5D

By Jill Stein

SAN DIEGO, C.A. -- May 23, 2006 -- The overall incidence of deep-vein thrombosis (DVT) in lung cancer patients is approximately 100-fold higher than that of the general population, according to new data reported here at the American Thoracic Society International Conference (ATS).

Dahlia Levi, medical student, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada, presented the results of a study that reviewed clinical data on all lung cancer patients prospectively followed in the pulmonary oncology clinic of the Sir Mortimer B. Davis Jewish General Hospital in Montreal since January 1, 1997.

Although not widely studied, DVT is estimated to occur in 10% to 15% of lung cancer patients, with significant morbidity and mortality, Ms. Levi noted. Cancer patients with DVT are at increased risk of recurrent DVT compared to noncancer patients with DVT. Also, cancer patients with DVT have a 4- to 6-fold higher risk of dying after acute thrombotic events than patients without cancer; they also have a reduced life expectancy compared with cancer patients without DVT.

"As a result, it is important to identify clinical risk factors that may predispose lung cancer patients to developing DVT," Ms. Levi added. "If these clinical risk factors are identified, better DVT prophylaxis strategies can be developed, and the morbidity and mortality associated with DVT can be reduced."

For the analysis, the investigators determined the occurrence of an objectively defined DVT in 598 consecutive patients with a histologically confirmed new diagnosis of lung cancer between January 1, 1997 and December 31, 2004.

Of the 598 lung cancer patients included in the cohort for a total of 730 person-years, 73 (12.2%) patients developed an objectively confirmed DVT. This translates into an incidence rate of 100 cases per 1,000 person years.

Further analysis revealed that, among lung cancer patients, advanced disease stage (greater than or equal to 3B or extensive) was associated with a 2.9-fold increased risk of DVT compared with early-stage disease (less than 3B or limited).

Patients with non-small-cell lung cancer had a trend towards a 2-fold increased risk of developing DVT compared with patients with small-cell lung cancer.

Levi said that clinical trials of prophylactic DVT therapy in lung cancer patients, especially those with advanced disease, may be warranted.

[Presentation title: The Risk of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Lung Cancer Patients. Abstract A22]