This case report discusses the management and consequences of treating acute pulmonary embolism in a patient with a history of malignancy, a population often excluded from thrombolytic therapy studies.
Case reports may guide individualized thrombolysis decisions in malignancy-associated PE; leaves open the need for dedicated trials in this excluded population.
Venous thromboembolism is the third leading cause of cardiovascular death in the United States and is the second leading cause of death among hospitalized cancer patients. Continued controversy exists regarding the role of thrombolytic therapy among patients with acute pulmonary embolism. Limited research exists on thrombolytic therapy in this setting, most of which has focused on symptoms, including right ventricular function, hemodynamic status, and electrocardiographic changes. However, these studies have excluded patients with a known malignancy. Presented is an interesting case of a patient, in remission from breast cancer, who presented to the emergency department with symptomatic pulmonary emboli. The presentation, medical management, and consequences of the treatment have been discussed. Also, a brief review of the literature is presented regarding the treatment of acute pulmonary embolism.
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Melissa McLenon (2012) studied this question.
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