Treatment of venous thromboembolism in ambulatory cancer patients in Germany: a prospective non-interventional study.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious threat for all cancer patients. This study was aimed to assess the VTE treatment of cancer patients in the ambulatory care setting.

Patients And Methods: This is a prospective non-interventional study, which includes ambulatory cancer patients from office-based oncologists. A standardized case report form was used to obtain data on patient characteristics, treatment regimens, duration of treatment, and side effects.

Results: Specialists from 34 centers included data from 76 patients. The median patient age was 62 years (range 33-81 years). The 4 most common cancer types were breast cancer (32%), colorectal cancer (18%), lymphoma and lung cancer (each 8%). 18% of the acute VTE cases were treated as inpatients, 80% as outpatients, and 99% with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH), unfractionated heparin (UFH), or fondaparinux. After the acute phase, secondary prophylaxis with LMWH/UFH/fondaparinux was planned in 61% of the patients, with oral anticoagulation in 39%. During acute-phase treatment and secondary prophylaxis, no patient had recurrent VTE. 4 patients (5%) experienced minor bleedings.

Conclusions: This study shows that many ambulatory cancer patients with VTE have early tumors, no metastases, and an excellent performance score. Most patients receive LMWHs for secondary prophylaxis, as recommended by the national and international guidelines. Still, a relevant percentage is switched to oral anticoagulants. © 2015 S. Karger GmbH, Freiburg.