Abstract
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a notable and preventable complication of cancer. The various manifestations of VTE, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism, contribute significantly to the morbidity and mortality of cancer patients. Anti-coagulant medications are often used for prevention of VTE in high-risk patients. However, with the administration of anticoagulants, a concomitant risk of haemorrhagic events is introduced, thus posing a threat to the lives of patients. Consequently, to justify the bleeding risk, current advice is that anticoagulants should only be administered to patients for whom VTE is a high risk. This necessitates precision in the risk stratification and scoring methods used to identify high-risk patients. With the overall increased susceptibility to VTE in patients with cancer, it is also important to highlight that VTE is a high risk for patients with certain types of cancer, such as pancreatic and gastro oesophageal. Regrettably, the existing VTE risk scoring systems are unable to identify high-risk patients, especially among those with pancreatic and gastro-oesophageal cancer, rendering the development of such a system an ongoing challenge.This study is driven by the objective of assessing and improving risk prediction models by exploring the relationships between various risk factors and the occurrence of VTE in patients diagnosed with gastro-oesophageal or pancreatic cancer. Being particularly prone to VTE, notably during chemotherapy, these cancer types in patients are considered as the focus for this investigation. In addition, little information is available in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT) about the incidence of VTE and its predictors among pancreatic and gastro-oesophageal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. In addressing these knowledge gaps, this study aimed to identify predictors of VTE in ambulatory patients with pancreatic and gastro-oesophageal cancers. It also aimed to assess the predictive ability of existing risk prediction models for VTE in patients with these types of cancer using the available data from patients who have attended the Canberra Region Cancer Centre (CRCC) since 2012.
| Date of Award | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Original language | English |
| Supervisor | Reza MORTAZAVI (Supervisor) |