Why Anticoagulation Management Is Important in Cancer Care
Anticoagulation Management Can Be Essential
There are three situations that increase the risk of the development of deep vein thrombosis or DVT. These three situations include surgery, cancer and the chemotherapy commonly used in the treatment of cancer. DVT is considered a potentially life-threatening condition, and anticoagulation management is essential during certain cancer treatments like chemotherapy.
What Is DVT & Why Are Cancer Patients at Risk?
DVT is an acronym for deep vein thrombosis, and this complex medical term refers to blood clots that develop in deeper large veins that could result in strokes, heart attacks and other serious medical conditions if not diagnosed and treated promptly with the right medication and treatment measures.
Cancer patients receiving chemotherapy are at a greater risk for the development of DVT, and cancer treatment centers are including preventative anticoagulation management into their patient’s plan of care protocols.
What Are Some of the Treatments for Deep Vein Thrombosis?
Treatments for deep vein thrombosis include anticoagulant medications such as vitamin K, heparin, Coumadin and others. These anticoagulant medications work to thin the patient’s blood, thereby reducing the risk of more serious health crisis events like strokes, heart attacks and pulmonary embolisms that can cause long-term health problems and potentially death.
Cancers Highly Associated with the Development of Deep Vein Thrombosis
The relationship of cancer, chemotherapy, and a patient’s increased risk for the development of deep vein thrombosis is still relatively complex and requires the expert diagnostic skills of cancer treatment specialists. There may be a higher association with DVT development in patients with cancers impacting the brain, breast, ovaries and pancreas. Other risk factors are involved, and more studies are needed to firmly determine treatment results.
Prominent Medical Organizations That Support LMWH SC Therapy
As more research links cancer patients and those undergoing chemotherapy with serious blood clot risks, more prominent medical organizations now support LMWH given subcutaneously for three to six months in at-risk patients. These organizations include the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, the American College of Chest Physicians, and the National Comprehensive Cancer Network with more concurring in recent surveys.
Anticoagulation Management in Cancer Patients Remains Crucial
When a cancer patient develops one or more blood clots that lodge in critical blood vessels and/or impacts vital organs, that patient’s overall quality of life can be diminished even if the blood clot is successfully resolved afterward.
More cancer treatment specialists are urging more aggressive anticoagulation management in high-risk cancer patients to help lower and/or prevent these risks of severe blood clot formations in the first place. Doing so can improve the overall quality of life and treatment outcomes for many at-risk cancer patients.
Talk with Your Cancer Treatment Team Regarding Anticoagulant Management
Although there are many complex challenges in the field of cancer treatment today, cancer treatment patients benefit from close supervision of PT/INR lab test values and ongoing anticoagulation management from their cancer treatment care team. At-risk patients are encouraged to talk with their medical treatment team to discuss all available treatment options and address certain specific treatment questions in general.
Proper and ongoing anticoagulation management with possible anticoagulant medication treatment may help prevent the dangerous development of serious and life-threatening blood clots and improve overall quality of life for many cancer patients. Always speak with your cancer specialist treatment team at New Jersey Cancer Care before beginning or stopping any medications or other therapies for safety reasons.
Learn more about anticoagulation management and other cancer related treatment options by contacting New Jersey Cancer Care today.
