Diagnosis and treatment of incidental venous thromboembolism in cancer patients: guidance from the SSC of the ISTH

Modern computer tomography (CT) with its higher sensitivity and resolution has increased the detection of incidental venous thromboembolism (VTE) in the venous and pulmonary vasculature during routine imaging for cancer staging and response assessment [1]. As a result, up to half of all VTEs diagnosed in oncology centers are incidental [1-5]. Although widely accepted, the diagnosis of incidental VTE is made without using the standard imaging studies required for confirming the presence of symptomatic VTE (i.e. compression ultrasonography for deep vein thrombosis [DVT] and CT pulmonary angiography [CTPA] or ventilation/perfusion lung scan for pulmonary embolism [PE]). The accuracy and reliability of staging imaging in making a diagnosis of DVT or PE have not been established. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved