Idiopathic venous thromboembolism and malignant disease: a case report.

BACKGROUND

The association between cancer and venous thromboembolism (VTE) is well known. Patients with idiopathic VTE have an increased risk of occult malignancy or subsequent development of cancer, compared with secondary VTE.

CASE: A 43-year-old woman presented with idiopathic deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and menorrhagia. She had a history of hereditary non-polyposis colon cancer (HNPCC). One year later, investigations for persistent menorrhagia revealed uterine adenocarcinoma.

CONCLUSION

Although there is no evidence that invasive screening for malignancy improves survival, recent findings have suggested that a directed search, based on family history, suspicious physical findings, or abnormal routine blood work, may be appropriate to rule out malignancy in women who present with VTE.