[Risk of fatal postoperative pulmonary embolism in cancer patients].

A retrospective study included 100 cancer patients who had died of fatal pulmonary embolism (PE) in the postoperative period. Assessment of the hazard of fatal postoperative PE demonstrated that the risk peaked on day 7 after operation and later on gradually diminished. The first three postoperative weeks featured high risk of fatal PE development as 90% of deaths were registered during its course.