Purpose Cancer patients require implantation of venous access devices to meet their personalized therapeutic needs, which are often complex due to the nature of the medication and the disease status. Therefore, it is essential to have standardized protocols that guarantee the best results in health and patient safety. Methods To learn about the availability of protocols and aspects related to safety in clinical practice and to detect possible opportunities for improvement, a survey has been conducted in various Spanish hospitals, in addition to a review of the evidence regarding the various devices available and complications associated with the administration of chemotherapy. Results As a result of both analyses, the Foundation for Excellence and Quality in Oncology (ECO), the Spanish Society of Medical Oncology (SEOM), and the Spanish Society of Oncology Nursing (SEEO) have developed a catheter selection algorithm based on patient characteristics and treatment to facilitate the clinical decision-making process, as well as some recommendations aimed at ensuring patient safety and rational use of available resources. Conclusions In conclusion, both the venous access catheter selection algorithm and the proposed recommendations aim to respond to the needs revealed in clinical practice and to become an integrable tool in electronic prescription systems to offer homogeneous criteria for action in cancer patients that require venous access, optimizing the use of available health resources with the highest safety and quality of life for the patient.

The association between venous thromboembolism (VTE) and cancer has been recognized for more than 100 years. Numerous studies have been performed to investigate strategies to decrease VTE incidence and to establish whether treating VTE impacts cancer progression and overall survival. Accordingly, it is important to understand the role of the hemostatic system in tumorigenesis and progression, as there is abundant evidence associating it with cell survival and proliferation, tumor angiogenesis, invasion, and dissemination, and metastasis formation. In attempts to further the scientific evidence, several studies examine survival benefits in cancer patients treated with anticoagulant therapy, specifically treatment with vitamin K antagonists, unfractionated heparin, and low-molecular-weight heparin. Several studies and meta-analyses have been conducted with a special focus on brain tumors. However, no definitive conclusions have been obtained, and more well-designed clinical trials are needed.

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