The incidence of venous thromboembolism is not lowin Korean patients with advanced pancreatic cancer [corrected]

Abstract

Background:

Pancreatic cancer is among the most common malignancies associated with venous thromboembolism (VTE). Asian patients are known to have a lower incidence of VTE compared to Caucasian patients. However, few studies have investigated the incidence of VTE in Asian patients with pancreatic cancer.

Methods:

This retrospective review of medical records was performed on 505 patients with histopathologically proven advanced stage pancreatic cancer, from January 2006 to December 2012, at Soonchunhyang University Hospitals.

Results:

Ninety-four patients (18.6%) had at least one pulmonary embolism (PE), deep vein thrombosis (DVT), or splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT); 38 patients had isolated SVT; and 56 patients (11.1%) had at least one classic VTE (PE and/or DVT of lower extremities). Patients with more advanced stages of pancreatic cancer (distant metastatic stage, recurrence) or who had received chemotherapy had a higher incidence of classic VTE. Patients who were simultaneously diagnosed with pancreatic cancer and classic VTE had a poorer prognosis than patients with subsequent VTEs. There was a significant difference in overall survival (OS) between the presence and absence of a concurrent classic VTE diagnosis (median: OS, 2.1 mo vs. 10.7 mo; P<0.001). Even when VTE included SVT, the result was similar (P<0.001).

Conclusion:

In Korean patients with advanced pancreatic cancer, the incidence of VTEs is comparable to that of Caucasian patients. We also found that pancreatic cancer patients with concurrent VTEs had a poor prognosis compared to patients who developed VTEs later.

• Authors: Seug Yun Yoon, Min-Young Lee, Jina Yun, Jina Yoon, Han Jo Kim, Kyoung-Ha Kim, Se Hyung Kim, Sang-Cheol Lee, Sang Byung Bae, Chan-Kyu Kim, Namsu Lee, Nam-Su Lee, Kyu Taek Lee, Sung Kyu Park, Dae Sik Hong, Jong-Ho Won
• Journal: Blood research (Blood Res) Vol. 53 Issue 3 Pg. 227-232 (09 2018) ISSN: 2287-979X [Print] Korea (South)
• PMID: 30310790 (Publication Type: Journal Article)