Portal Vein Thrombosis in Metastatic Colorectal Cancer During FOLFIRI-bevacizumab Chemotherapy Successfully Treated with Apixaban

Abstract

Portal vein thrombosis (PVT) while using an angiogenesis inhibitor is relatively rare. A 70-year-old Asian man was diagnosed with PVT two months after initiating 5-fluorouracil/leucovorin, irinotecan, and bevacizumab therapy for rectal cancer with liver metastases. Because the metastases were small and shrinking, we suspected that the thrombosis might have been caused by bevacizumab-containing chemotherapy. We stopped bevacizumab and started apixaban, a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC). Eight months later, the complete dissolution of the thrombus and recanalization of the portal vein were attained. Our case suggests that PVT can occur during bevacizumab-containing chemotherapy, and DOAC therapy might be beneficial for treating PVT in patients with cancer.