Are Inferior Vena Cava Filters Effective for Prophylaxis of Critical Pulmonary Embolism in Patients with Cancer and Coexisting Venous Thromboembolism?

Abstract

Cancer sometimes causes venous thromboembolisms (VTE) including pulmonary embolisms (PE), which impedes aggressive treatment such as chemotherapy. From January 2003 to March 2007, there were 120 hospitalized patients with existing VTE in The University of Tokyo Hospital. Among them we reviewed 39 patients with cancer who required aggressive chemoradiotherapy and examined whether inferior vena cava (IVC) filtration was necessary in addition to ordinary anticoagulant therapy. The clinical stage of cancer was stage I in 7, stage II in 4, stage III in 11, and stage IV in 17. Most were advanced cancer. Of the 39, 9 underwent an IVC filter placement (filter group) and 30 did not (no-filter group). All of them received regular anticoagulant therapy. In the long-term follow up averaging 16.9 months, one patient of the filter group required discontinuation of chemotherapy due to symptomatic PE, but there was no such a case in the no-filter group. Filter-related complications such as IVC occlusion or migration did not occur. Computed tomography showed VTE in the long-term course in 27 out of 39 patients, and suggested increased thrombi in cases of recurrent cancer and those with poor outcome. Seventeen died of cancer but no one died of PE during the study. This study showed that IVC filters offered no beneficial effect for the patients with existing VTE who receive aggressive chemotherapy.