Venous Thromboembolism Prevention and Treatment in Cancer Surgery

In the 1860s, Dr Armand Trousseau first described migratory thrombophlebitis as a sign of visceral malignancy. Subsequent work showed the commonality by which the coagulation cascade is deranged in patients with cancer, leading to thrombosis, disseminated intravascular coagulation, and bleeding. Thromboembolic disease, in particular, is an unfortunate sequela of malignancy, and may affect both the venous and arterial systems [1,2].