title: Deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary artery embolism in high-grade non Hodgkin's lymphoma: incidence, causes and prognostic relevance.
abstract: To analyse incidence, risk factors, causes and prognostic significance of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in high-grade non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (HG-NHL) a prospective clinical trial (N = 593), also undertaken to analyse other aspects of HG-NHL, a study of haemostasis (N = 25) and a post-mortem analysis (N = 70) were performed. Clinical analysis documented a 6.6% incidence of VTE, and 77% of all cases occurred before or within the first 3 months of chemotherapy. Ann Arbor stage IV and B-mediastinal clear cell histology were risk factors for VTE, while rapid changes in tumour load or application of consolidation chemotherapy were not. Vessel compression by HG-NHL was the leading cause of VTE, whereas a significant (paraneoplastic or chemotherapy-induced) thrombophilic state was not disclosed by haemostatic tests. While VTE-related fatality was found to be low in the clinical trial (1.7%) and at necropsy (8.5%), the occurrence of VTE was associated with an unsatisfactory response of HG-NHL to chemotherapy and a high incidence of treatment-related mortality due to diffuse alveolitis. Thus, fatal VTE in HG-NHL is rare, but VTE is associated with an unfavourable clinical course of HG-NHL.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Essen, Germany.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ottinger
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Belka
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Kozole
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Engelhard
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Meusers
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Paar
authors.forename: K A
authors.initials: KA
authors.lastname: Metz
authors.forename: L D
authors.initials: LD
authors.lastname: Leder
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Cyrus
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gnoth
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008228:Lymphoma, Non-Hodgkin / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000401:mortality; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality; D012307:Risk Factors; D015996:Survival Rate; D013924:Thrombophlebitis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000401:mortality