BACKGROUND: Most patients with unresectable advanced digestive cancers require placement of a fully implantable venous access port to facilitate safe delivery of anti-cancer drugs. Anti-VEGF therapies are commonly used even though they increase the risk of thrombosis. The objective of this study was to assess the incidence of radiologically confirmed catheter-related thrombosis(CRT)in patients with advanced digestive cancers.
METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed 88 patients with advanced digestive cancers who had adapted implantable ports placed in our institution for chemotherapy.
RESULTS: Thirty-nine patients were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, 26 with gastric cancer, 12 with pancreatic cancer, 8 with esophageal cancer, and 3 with other cancers. During follow-up, 22 patients(25%)received anti-VEGF therapies, while 66 patients(75%)did not. Four out of 88 patients(4.5%)had asymptomatic CRT. The incidence of CRT was the same(4.5%)regardless of whether the patient received anti-VEGF therapy.
CONCLUSIONS: In patients with digestive cancers who had implantable venous access ports, the incidence of the CRT was 4.5% with no association with anti-VEGF therapies.
Reference:Tanioka, H., Asano, M., Kawasaki, K., Yoshida, R., Waki, N., Uno, F., Ishizaki, M., Yamashita, K., Katata, Y., Sano, F., Okawaki, M., Yamamura, M., Nagasaka, T. and Yamaguchi, Y. (2019) Incidence of Catheter-Related Thrombosis in Patients with Long-Term Indwelling Central Venous Port Who Received Chemotherapies for Unresectable Advanced Digestive Cancers. Gan To Kagaku Ryoho. 46(13), p.2182-2184. (Article in Japanese).