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Introduction: Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated non-inferiority of rivaroxaban compared with vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) in the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE). Our objective was to analyze in real life, tolerance, recurrence, bleeding and adverse events of rivaroxaban in patients with acute symptomatic VTE., Material and Methods: Open follow-up study of a cohort of patients aged 18 and over diagnosed with deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and/or pulmonary embolism (PE) treated with rivaroxaban from December 2011 to January 2014., Results: The total number of patients treated with rivaroxaban was 103. The mean age was 58+/-17 years. The most frequent co-morbidities were: hypertension (30.0%), dyslipidemia (23.3%) and respiratory disease (25.2%). The type of thromboembolic event treated was: DVT (64.1%), PE (18.4%), DVT+PE (17.5%). Of the rivaroxaban-treated patients, 30% did so from the initial anticoagulant therapy and the other 70% in long-term or extended anticoagulant therapy. The median time of treatment with rivaroxaban was 6 months [corrected]. There was one recurrence and no deaths occurred. Six patients had bleeding, one of which was severe., Conclusions: Rivaroxaban provides a therapeutic alternative in a group of patients with VTE with advantages over VKAs, because of the convenience in dosing, lack of requirements for periodic monitoring and limited interaction with other drugs., (Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: An association between pulmonary embolism (PE) and a subsequent diagnosis of cancer has been repeatedly reported. Although screening and early detection might play a pivotal part in reducing mortality from cancer, there are currently no definite data to suggest that cancer screening may improve survival rates in patients with PE. We hereby present the results of a screening program and a two-year follow-up survey for detecting occult cancer in this patient population., Materials and Methods: A total of 107 patients with PE were consecutively enrolled. All subjects underwent an initial screening program followed by a two-year follow-up survey. We calculated the sensitivity of our screening program, and identified risk factors associated with occult cancer by means of logistic regression., Results: The initial screening program yielded positive results in five patients (4.7%), and four additional cases were identified during the 2-year follow-up. The overall sensitivity of our screening program in idiopathic PE was 55.5%. In the entire study cohort, the number necessary for screening was 12.1 (6.1 in idiopathic PE, and 58 in secondary PE). Logistic regression analysis revealed that a shock index >/=1 (odds ratio: 5.467; p=0.007) and idiopathic PE (odds ratio: 12.82; p=0.03) were independent risk factors for occult cancer in our PE patients., Conclusions: A simple and noninvasive screening program yields an acceptable sensitivity for detecting occult cancer in idiopathic PE patients. These results highlight the importance of screening for occult cancer in patients diagnosed with PE, especially in idiopathic forms., (Copyright 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)