Distal DVTs Are High Risk in Patients with Cancer

Patients without cancer who develop distal deep venous thrombosis (DVT) of the leg (i.e., calf DVT) have lower risk for developing recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) than do patients with proximal DVT; whether the same is true for patients with cancer is unclear. Researchers used a 10-year international cohort of 110,000 patients with new DVTs to compare outcomes among patients with active cancer who developed distal DVT, patients with cancer who developed proximal DVT, and patients without cancer who developed distal DVT. Nearly all patients in each group received anticoagulation for at least 3 months, and outcomes were assessed at 3 and 12 months.

In patients with active cancer, three adverse outcomes — all-cause mortality, VTE recurre…