What does thrombosis imply in a patient with cancer?

Venous thrombosis has far-reaching effects on a patient’s quality of life and prognosis. Thrombosis is, in fact, the second cause of death – after the tumor itself – among these patients, with often dramatic consequences on the quality of their lives and their life expectancy. Besides their greater risk of venous thrombosis or pulmonary embolism, patients with cancer also have a higher risk of relapsing thrombosis or hemorrhage while receiving anticoagulative therapy to cure the thrombosis. The probability of re-hospitalization within 6 months after an episode of thrombosis is 22% for cancer patients, compared to 6.5% for patients without a tumor.