Cancer, thrombosis and low-molecular-weight heparins

The present thesis, entitled "Cancer, thrombosis and low-molecular-weight heparins", deals with the relationship between cancer and venous thromboembolism (VTE), which insists on a two-way clinical correlation. In fact, neoplastic patients not only exhibit a higher risk of developing a thrombotic event when compared with non-cancer patients, but also an episode of idiopathic VTE may act as the first manifestation of a yet undisclosed cancer, offering chances for early identification of the pathology.
The thesis is organized in three sections. The first part "venous thromboembolism in cancer patients" deals with risk factors for VTE in cancer patients as well as with prophylaxis and treatment of tromboembolic events in this setting. The second part "venous thromboembolism and the risk of cancer" speculates on unprovoked VTEs which sometimes may represent the first manifestation of a yet undisclosed malignancy and evaluates data on possible early cancer identification through extensive screening procedures. The third part "effect of low-molecular-weight heparins on survival in cancer patients" face the topic of possible anti-neoplastic effect of anticoagulants in cancer patients, since the hypercoagulable state, often encountered in cancer patients, not only acts as an important risk factor for thrombosis, but also plays a role in tumour progression and metastatization.