Incidence of thromboembolic events in people with breast cancer during chemotherapy treatment

Introduction: People with cancer are at increased risk for developing thromboembolic events both due to the disease and its treatment. Studies show that chemotherapy increases the chance of these events occurring.

Objective: To identify the incidence of thromboembolic events in people with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Method: Observational, retrospective study, carried out by collecting data from medical records at a reference oncology service in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The sample consisted of 134 medical records of people with breast cancer receiving care at that institution in the period between March 11, 2020 and March 11, 2021. The study was approved under opinions nº: 4,486,636 and 4,509,083.

Results: A female population was identified, mostly white and with an average age of 58 years. Of the 134 eligible records, 111 were from women undergoing chemotherapy and, of these, 38 women developed a thromboembolic event. The most prevalent event was deep vein thrombosis.

Conclusion: The study showed a high incidence of thromboembolic events in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy, whether as exclusive treatment or combined with other therapies. This finding guides the health team in effective care planning, focusing on actions that minimize complications related to chemotherapy treatment in this population. New factor association studies are suggested in order to identify the most relevant factors in the occurrence of these events in this population.

Corresponding author: Caroline Netto Bellot (e-mail: carolinebellot@hotmail.com).