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Background: Although Asian population was recognized to have a lower risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE), its increasing prevalence and incidence remain unclear in patients with malignancies. We attempted to predict VTE development using activation markers of coagulation and fibrinolysis.Methods: We enrolled patients with malignancy admitted to Tonan Hospital between April and December 2014 to receive a new-for-them chemotherapy regimen. All patients were examined for VTE by computed tomography and whole-leg compression ultrasonography before chemotherapy and three months later. We also examined plasma levels of thrombin-antithrombin complex (TAT) and plasmin α2-plasmin inhibitor complex (PIC) before chemotherapy. The cut off values of TAT and PIC were set at 2.1 ng/mL and 1.8 μg/mL, respectively.Results: Of 97 patients, the majority (67%) had distant metastases. The most common malignancies were colorectal (26%), breast (23%), and stomach (19%) cancer. VTE was detected in 29 patients (31%); all were asymptomatic. VTE was newly developed in 12 patients in the three-month observation period, which means the incidence was 49 per 1000 person-years. Non-increased PIC with increased TAT was the only significant risk factor for both VTE prevalence and incidence in multivariate analysis, and the odds ratios were 3.0 (95% confidence interval, 1.1-8.2; P = 0.034) and 9.4 (95% confidence interval, 1.7-51.9; P = 0.011), respectively.Conclusions: The prevalence and incidence of VTE were high in hospitalized Japanese patients receiving chemotherapy for malignancies. Non-increased PIC with increased levels of TAT may be an independent risk factor for VTE development. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A 74-year-old woman with advanced gastric cancer was admitted to our hospital. A central venous (CV) port catheter was implanted into the right subclavian vein for preoperative chemotherapy and parenteral nutritional management. On the 35th day after implantation, she complained of diarrhea, fever and dyspnea. The chest radiograph showed a right-sided massive pleural effusion. As the patient progressively fell into severe respiratory distress, endotracheal intubation was performed for management of respiration by mechanical ventilation. Initially, given the patient's symptoms, she was diagnosed with septic shock. Therefore, after placement of a CV catheter through the right femoral vein, in consideration of the possibility of a port infection, she was treated with thoracentesis and infusion of antibiotics. The patient gradually recovered, and again received parenteral nutrition through the CV port catheter. After the infusion was administered, she complained of dyspnea. A CT scan of the chest revealed a right pleural effusion and displacement of the tip of the CV port catheter out of the wall of the superior vena cava. We diagnosed delayed vascular injury (DVI), and the CV port catheter was removed. She soon recovered with conservative treatment. We speculated that the initial respiratory symptoms such as the pleural effusion were caused by DVI. DVI should therefore be recognized as a complication related to implanted CV port catheters.