Venous Thromboembolism and Colorectal Cancer: A Review

Abstract

Venous thromboembolism is a common complication of malignancies and epidemiological studies suggested that colorectal cancer belong to the group of malignancies with the highest incidence rates of VTE.Risk factor for VTE in colorectal cancer patients are advanced disease, colorectal surgery and chemotherapy including anti-angiogenic therapy.Other risk factors are pretreatment platelet counts and increased release of TF-positive micro-particles. Elevated D-dimer level do not necessarily indicate an increased risk of VTE but have been shown to be predictive for a worse clinical outcome in colorectal cancer patients.Mechanisms responsible for the increase in venous thrombosis in patients with colorectal cancer are not understood. Currently no biomarker is recognized as a predictor for VTE in colorectal cancer.Although several clinical trials have reported the efficacy of antithrombotic prophylaxis in patients with colorectal cancer who are receiving chemotherapy, further trials are needed to assess the clinical benefit since these patients are at an increased risk of developing a thromboembolism.