A City of Hope surgical oncologist recently spearheaded efforts to create new national guidelines on preventing blood clots in cancer patients. The National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) announced the release of its Venous Thromboembolic Disease (VTE) Guidelines on March 23. These guidelines outline the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of VTE.

“The interest in and concern about VTE has increased dramatically in the last few years,” said Lawrence D. Wagman, M.D., chair of the VTE Panel and director of the Liver Tumor Program at City of Hope Cancer Center. “Physicians need a resource that outlines new and effective diagnostic techniques and therapeutic strategies not only for VTE, but also to prevent pulmonary embolism.”

A potentially serious condition, VTE occurs when a blood clot forms in the deep veins of the legs or in the pelvic veins. Cancer patients are especially at risk for VTE, which can result in serious complications, such as pulmonary embolism, if not diagnosed and treated effectively.

NCCN has included VTE as part of its clinical practice guidelines in oncology. The guidelines are widely recognized and applied as the standard for clinical policy in oncology in both the community practice setting and in academic cancer centers. These guidelines are updated continually and are based upon evaluation of scientific data integrated with expert judgment.

The VTE panel created the detailed guidelines for physicians to help them “anticipate and treat VTE, a condition that many cancer patients are at risk for developing,” said Wagman.

Information about the VTE Guidelines is available on the Web at www.nccn.org.

The NCCN is a not-for-profit alliance of 20 of the world’s leading cancer centers. The organization is dedicated to improving the quality and effectiveness of care provided to patients with cancer. City of Hope Comprehensive Cancer Center is a founding member of the NCCN.