Epidemiological, Clinical and Therapeutic Patterns of Venous Thromboembolic Disease in Cancer Patients Followed up in Two Reference Hospitals in Cameroon

Background: Cancer increases the incidence of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE), which represents a significant cause of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden in cancer patients. Objective: We aimed to describe the epidemiologic, clinical,？and therapeutic pattern of VTE in cancer patients followed-up in two reference hospitals in Cameroon over？the past ten years. Methods: This was a cross-sectional retrospective study conducted in the oncology department of the General hospitals of Yaoundé and Douala. We included the medical records of all patients aged 18 years and above who had active cancer with a confirmed diagnosis of VTE from 2010 to 2021. Results: We analysed 408 patients’ medical records. The prevalence of VTE was 7.6%. All those having VTE had solid tumours. There were twenty (64.5%) cases of deep venous thrombosis, five (16.1%) cases of pulmonary embolism,？and three (9.7%) cases of both. Poor performance status and chemotherapy were independently associated with the development of VTE. Most of the patients were treated with compression stockings and low molecular weight heparin. Conclusion: VTE prevalence is high among cancer patients in Cameroon. It is most frequent in solid tumours originating from the genitourinary system, the lung, the pancreas,？and the brain.