Venous thromboembolism is contributing to as many as 4,000 cancer deaths a year in England and Wales, according to report published today.
MPs say that many hospitals are not taking "appropriate action" to reduce these risks.
The findings are reported by the All-Party Parliamentary Thrombosis Group to mark World Thrombosis Day today.
The report says that 2.6% of deaths of cancer patients are associated with venous thromboembolism, according to an analysis of death certificates.
But fewer than 50% of hospitals give cancer patients written and verbal information about the risks of VTE during treatment.
Just 41% of Trusts had a dedicated policy or pathway for risk assessment and management of suspected blood clots.
The findings come from Freedom of Information responses from 92 hospital trusts.
The report says that the death rates of cancer patients from VTE vary from 2% in the south of England to 3.6% in Wales.
Group chair Andrew Gwynne MP said: "We hope that by raising awareness of this overlooked issue, we can drive up patient safety and provide better outcomes for patients.”
Eve Knight, founder of Anticoagulation Europe – a charity funded by several pharmaceutical companies – added: “It is not always widely known that cancer patients have a four to seven-fold increased risk of developing a blood clot compared to the general population.
"It is vital that we raise awareness of this and the importance of staying on the medication to treat the blood clot for at least six months in order to prevent unnecessary deaths.”
Leave a Reply