Abstract
BACKGROUND: Retinal vein thrombosis has in case reports been reported a clinical sign of cancer, especially hematological cancer. However, it is unclear whether retinal vein thrombosis is a marker of underlying cancer, as is the case for deep venous thrombosis and pulmonary embolism. We investigated the risk of occult cancer in patients with retinal vein thrombosis.
METHODS: A nationwide population-based cohort study in Denmark on all patients diagnosed with a retinal vein thrombosis during 1994 and 2013. The main outcome measures were any cancer and site-specific cancers <6 months, 6-12 months, and 5 years following a retinal vein thrombosis diagnosis, as registered in the Danish Cancer Registry and the National Pathology Registry. We calculated the absolute cancer risk and computed standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for cancer within <6 months, 6-12 months, and 5 years following a retinal vein thrombosis diagnosis.
RESULTS: Among 9589 patients with retinal vein thrombosis, we observed 1514 cancer cases. The risk of any cancer was 1.2% <6 months and 28.8% after 5 years. The <6 months SIR was 1.20 (95% CI 0.99-1.44), 6-12 months SIR was 1.15 (95% CI 0.94-1.39), and the 5 years' SIR was 1.08 (95% CI 1.03-1.14). Stratification by age, gender, calendar year, and Charlson Comorbidity Index score did not change overall cancer risk estimates.
CONCLUSION: Retinal vein thrombosis was not an important clinical marker for occult cancer. An extensive diagnostic cancer workup does not appear warranted for retinal vein thrombosis patients.
Original language | English |
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Journal | Cancer Medicine |
Volume | 7 |
Issue number | 11 |
Pages (from-to) | 5789-5795 |
Number of pages | 7 |
ISSN | 2045-7634 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - Nov 2018 |
Keywords
- cohort study
- neoplasm
- retinal vein occlusion
- risk
- venous thromboembolism