Thromboembolic complications in urogenital cancers: incidence, risk factors and prevention

Abstract

Numerous studies indicate a decrease in overall survival among cancer patients who have developed thromboembolic complications. The article presents a review of literature on thromboembolic complications in patients with kidney, bladder, and prostate cancer. The analysis of publications indicates a variety of risk factors and heterogeneous frequency of thromboembolism in patients with malignant neoplasms of the genitourinary system. Prevention of thromboembolism is carried out at all stages of treatment: outpatient, after surgery, during chemotherapy, but is accompanied by a fairly high risk of hemorrhagic complications and recurrences. Direct oral anticoagulants are an alternative to low-molecular-weight heparin for prevention of cancer-associated thromboembolism due to their convenience, efficacy and safety for most patients. An important task is to select patients for primary thromboprophylaxis based on stratification of the risk of thromboembolic complications using prognostic scales.