Screening for Cancer in Patients with Acute Venous Thromboembolic Disease

AbstractActive cancer causes approximately 25% of all acute events of venous thromboembolism (VTE). While most of the cancer diagnoses are known or clinically apparent at the time of VTE, care providers and patients may be worried about the 3 to 8% risk of occult cancer occurring in the year after VTE. Several studies have compared limited to extensive cancer screening after acute VTE, especially with the addition of abdominal computed tomography (CT) or whole-body PET-CT, with the hope to shorten the time to cancer diagnosis and lead to less advanced cancer stages. These studies have not shown improved clinical…