A Systematic Review of the Guidelines on Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis in Gynecologic Oncology

SIMPLE SUMMARY: Cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) is the second leading cause of death in cancer patients. Gynecological cancer patients are considered at high risk of VTE and of bleeding due to the intrinsic nature of the tumor itself. Prevention of VTE in this special subgroup of cancer patients is a current topic of interest since there are no standardized protocols. This review aimed to summarize the protocols for VTE prevention in gynecological cancer patients given by the selected national and international guidelines in order to help the clinicians to identify patients who would benefit from VTE prophylaxis during daily practice. ABSTRACT: (1) Background: This review aimed to summarize the indications for venous thromboembolic (VTE) events’ prophylaxis in a gynecological cancer population, according to the most recent guidelines. (2) Methods: A systematic review of the guidelines in PubMed, SCOPUS, Web of Science, EMBASE, and CINHAL regarding VTE prevention in gynecological cancer patients was conducted according to PRISMA criteria. We compared the recommendations given by oncological and hematological societies regarding VTE prevention in gynecological cancer patients published from January 2010 through March 2021. We searched for the following keywords: “venous thromboembolism prevention”, “cancer”, and “guidelines”. The AGREE II checklist was used to critically analyze the guidelines’ quality. (3) Results: There were 1003 documents available; 14 met the inclusion criteria, 5 were excluded and, eventually, the guidelines of 10 societies were evaluated. (4) Conclusions: The guidelines agree that low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) and fondaparinux achieve better results in VTE prevention in gynecological cancer patients. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) can be used to prevent VTE in outpatients and high-risk medical patients after discharge. VTE risk scores should be applied to all oncological patients to identify those who would benefit from a prevention program. More attention should be paid to mechanical prophylactic methods due to the high bleeding risk of gynecological cancer patients.