Antithrombotic prophylaxis use and incidence of venous thromboembolism in lung cancer surgery: An observational retrospective study.

Introduction: Extended thromboprophylaxis with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) for 28 days is recommended in patients undergoing major abdominal or pelvic cancer surgery, but the evidence for thoracic cancer surgery is weak. We aimed to evaluate the use of pharmacological thromboprophylaxis and incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in adult patients undergoing lung cancer surgery in daily clinical practice.

Methods: Retrospective evaluation of a cohort of consecutive adult patients who had undergone lung cancer surgery.

Screening for occult malignancy with FDG-PET/CT in patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism.

Extensive screening strategies to detect occult cancer in patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) are complex and no benefit in terms of survival has been reported. FDG-PET/CT (2-[F-18] fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography combined with computed tomography), a noninvasive technique for the diagnosis and staging of malignancies, could be useful in this setting. Consecutive patients ≥ 50 years with a first unprovoked VTE episode were prospectively included.