Risk of venous thromboembolism in patients with pancreatic cancer

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is often diagnosed in patients with pancreatic cancer, resulting in increased morbidity and mortality. Objective: to study the relationship between clinical characteristics and hemostatic disorders in patients with pancreatic cancer and determine their role in predicting VTE. Material and Methods. The study included 246 patients with pancreatic cancer. Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma was diagnosed in 91.9 % of patients. In most patients (68.3 %), the tumor was localized in the head of the pancreas; 45.9 % of patients had stage IV disease at diagnosis (T1–4N0–2M1); 31.7 % of patients manifested jaundice at diagnosis. A small proportion of patients (17.5 %) received chemotherapy, and 28 % of patients underwent surgery. Within the 12-month follow-up period, the frequency of VTE was 15.4 %. Clinical characteristics and hemostasis parameters were retrospectively compared in patients with VTE and without VTE diagnosed during the follow-up period. Results. The risk of developing VTE in cancer patients was higher with a larger tumor size and the presence of distant metastases. The initial high level of D-dimers increased the risk of VTE during the frst 12 months of diagnosis. In a multivariate analysis, the elevated level of D-dimers was a signifcant risk factor for VTE. Conclusions. The tumor size, advanced tumor stage (stage IV), and elevated levels of D-dimer in patients with pancreatic cancer are of prognostic signifcance for VTE. The study of hemostasis parameters (D-dimer) can help identify patients at risk of developing VTE, who are advised to take anticoagulant therapy with low hemorrhagic risk.