Proceedings of the 13th International Conference on Thrombosis and Hemostasis Issues in Cancer, 2026
Vol. 5 No. s1 (2026)
Cancer-associated superficial vein thrombosis: clinical outcomes and management
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All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.
Published: 16 April 2026
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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity and noncancer mortality in patients with active malignancy, and management frameworks for cancer-associated deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are well developed. In contrast, there exists controversy in the management of isolated superficial vein thrombosis (iSVT) in patients with active malignancies, as the guideline recommended treatment regimens for iSVT are based on randomized trials that largely excluded patients with active cancer, Furthermore, patients with cancer have a higher risk of bleeding and thrombosis complicating anticoagulant management. This review synthesizes evidence on outcomes and management of cancer-associated iSVT. The evidence indicates there is a high rate of subsequent VTE incidence after cancer-associated iSVT despite anticoagulation, and comparisons of patients with active malignancy to noncancer- associated iSVT demonstrated a substantially higher VTE risk with cancer, with low rates of major bleeding. This suggests that patients with cancer-associated iSVT may benefit from higher doses of anticoagulation and/or extended therapy. However, the data suffers from heterogeneity and limited numbers emphasizing the need for randomized controlled trials to assess the optimal anticoagulant intensity/duration for patients with cancer-associated iSVT.
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How to Cite
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Bailey AJM, Luo OD, Wells PS. Cancer-associated superficial vein thrombosis: clinical outcomes and management. Bleeding Thromb Vasc Biol [Internet]. 2026 Apr. 16 [cited 2026 Apr. 17];5(s1). Available from: https://www.btvb.org/btvb/article/view/446
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