Risk factors and prognosis value of venous thromboembolism in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer: a case-control study

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the well-known complication of cancer, especially among lung cancer patients. The objective of this study is to identify the incidence, risk factors and prognosis of VTE in the patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) in an advanced or metastatic stage (stage III or IV). We hypothesized that NSCLC patients associated with VTE may lead to poor prognosis. Methods: From 2012 to 2015, we retrospectively investigated 1,560 patients diagnosed with lung cancer in stage III or IV. Each VTE patient was matched with three control patients according to gender, age, pathology, clinical stage and the diagnosed time. Univariate and multivariate analyses were used in the study. Results: Among the 1,560 patients in our study, 32 (2.0%) developed VTE in locally advanced or metastatic stage lung cancer. Weight loss, serous effusion, the absence of the EGFR mutation, poor performance status (PS), hypoalbuminemia, hyponatremia, long prothrombin time (PT), and elevated levels of C-reaction-protein (CRP) and D-dimer were found to be associated with an increased risk of VTE by univariate analyses. The multivariate analyses revealed that weight loss, poor PS, increased CRP and long PT were significantly related to VTE. Overall survival (OS) from diagnosis was significantly shorter in patients with VTE (medians 14.2 vs. 24.4 months; P<0.001). Conclusions: The incidence of VTE was high among advanced NSCLC patients, particularly for those with weight loss, poor PS, increased CRP and long PT. Moreover, the patients with VTE complications may have a poorer prognosis.