Screening for cancer in unprovoked venous thromboembolism

Take home messages The incidence of occult malignancy in patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism (VTE) is up to 5% and therefore VTE can be the first manifestation of cancer. Strategies that add extensive imaging to routine investigations including age and sex-appropriate screening have not resulted in a significant increase in occult cancer diagnosis or improvement of patient outcomes. Clinical scores have been developed which look to target screening techniques toward patients at highest risk of malignancy, but many have not yet been validated for clinical practice.