• Center on Health Equity and Access
  • Clinical
  • Health Care Cost
  • Health Care Delivery
  • Insurance
  • Policy
  • Technology
  • Value-Based Care

Avoid Unnecessary Cancer Screening Following Venous Thromboembolism, Says NEJM Study

Article

A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine says a CT scan following a first venous thromboebolism event may not benefit in detecting cancer.

An NEJM study found that the prevalence of occult cancer was low among patients who had a first unprovoked venous thromboembolism, and routine screening with CT of the abdomen and pelvis was not clinically beneficial.

The study was conducted because unprovoked venous thromboembolism is thought of as an earliest sign of cancer, and up to 10% of patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism receive a diagnosis of cancer within a year of the event and then gradually decreases. While the hypothesis is that early screening and intervention can reduce cancer-associated mortality, there's not enough data to support the practice. This has resulted in a wide variation in policy and clinical practice, write the authors. How intense should the intervention be and what should be included as a part of the screening strategy? These are some of the questions that remain unanswered.

In this study, the authors conducted a randomized clinical trial to assess the efficacy and safety of adding CT of the abdomen and pelvis to a limited screening strategy for occult cancer.

Related Videos
Video 1 - "Diagnosing and Understanding the Pathogenesis of Bronchiectasis"
Video 4 - "Challenges in Autoantibody Screening for Type 1 Diabetes"
Jeff Stark, MD, vice president, head of medical immunology, UCB
Video 7 - "Prior Authorization and Access to Targeted Treatment for Ph+ ALL Patients"
Video 7 - "Prior Authorization and Access to Targeted Treatment for Ph+ ALL Patients"
Video 6 - "Community Partnership: Increasing Public Awareness of CVD"
Video 6 - "Community Partnership: Increasing Public Awareness of CVD"
Screenshot of Raajit Rampal, MD, PhD
 Laura Ferris, MD, PhD, professor of dermatology, University of Pittsburgh
Related Content
© 2024 MJH Life Sciences
AJMC®
All rights reserved.