November 2003

Many M.D.s unaware of cancer treatment risks

Patients receiving cancer treatments are at greater risk of potentially life‑threatening blood clots ‑‑ yet more than a quarter of oncologists aren't aware of this fact and fail to take any preventive measures.

That was the finding of a study published in BMJ (formerly known as the British Medical Journal). Researchers in Manchester, England, surveyed 106 oncologists in northern England. The most common treatment was chemotherapy, used by 39% of oncologists, 9% used hormone therapy, and 42% used radiotherapy.

Even though medical research has proven that the risk exists, a total of 29 (27%) thought their patients were not at risk of venous thromboembolism (blockage of a blood vessel by a blood clot) regardless of the type of tumor treated.

Seventy‑one oncologists believed that hormone therapy posed little or no increased risk to patients, 83 thought the same for chemotherapy and 96 for radiotherapy.

Of the 106 respondents, 84 reported not routinely take preventive measures, such as giving the patients aspirin or warfarin, in chemotherapy, 79 in hormone therapy, and 86 in radiotherapy. A total of 19 oncologists never used any kind of preventive measure for venous thromboembolism.

SOURCE: "Prophylaxis for venous thromboembolism during treatment for cancer: questionnaire survey," BMJ, September 13, 2003.