Can cancer cause blood clots?

”Cancer skews the balance in terms of pro-clotting, increases inflammation, and compresses blood vessels, all risk factors for developing clots.” Treatment for cancer or blood disorders can also affect the balance of pro- and anti-clotting factors, and increased bed rest during treatment may enhance a patient’s risk of clotting. read more

Feb. 8, 2005 -- Cancer patients, particularly those with blood, lung, and gut cancers, are at very high risk of deadly blood clots. That's not exactly news. Doctors have known for 137 years that cancer patients risk blood clots in veins deep in the legs that can dislodge and block blood flow in the lungs. read more

Treatment to prevent blood clots should be routine in any hospitalized patient, and usually consists of injections of heparin or low molecular weight heparin. Compression stockings or pneumatic devices are also used to help prevent blood clots. Patients with cancer who are home and can move around have a lower likelihood of developing DVT/PE. read more

While cancer patients are more at risk for developing clots, people who develop blood clots are also sometimes diagnosed with cancer. According to Connors, 10 percent of people diagnosed with DVT who do not have a known cancer will be diagnosed with cancer as part of the clot evaluation or in the next year to two years. read more