Venous Thrombosis and Cancer: What Would Dr. Trousseau Teach Today?
Authors: Geno J. Merli, Howard H. Weitz
Journal: Annals of Internal Medicine (2017)

Editorials19 September 2017Venous Thrombosis and Cancer: What Would Dr. Trousseau Teach Today?Geno J. Merli, MD and Howard H. Weitz, MDGeno J. Merli, MDFrom Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. and Howard H. Weitz, MDFrom Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Author, Article, and Disclosure Informationhttps://doi.org/10.7326/M17-2030 SectionsAboutFull TextPDF ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload CitationsTrack CitationsPermissions ShareFacebookTwitterLinkedInRedditEmail The year 2017 marks the 150th anniversary of the publication of Dr. Armand Trousseau's Lectures on Clinical Medicine, the English translation of Clinique médicale de l'Hôtel-Dieu de Paris (1861), a compilation of lectures Trousseau delivered as physician in chief at Hôtel-Dieu de Paris hospital (1). In lecture 95, "Phlegmasia Alba Dolens" (venous thromboembolic disease), Trousseau discussed the relationship between unexplained venous thromboembolism (VTE) and the subsequent diagnosis of cancer and presented several cases to illustrate this relationship. He opined, "I have long been struck with the frequency with which cancerous patients are affected with painful edema in the superior or ...References1. Trousseau A, Bazire PV; trans.. Lectures on Clinical Medicine: Delivered at the Hotel-Dieu, Paris. London: New Sydenham Soc; 1868. Google Scholar2. Khorana AA. Malignancy, thrombosis and Trousseau: the case for an eponym. J Thromb Haemost. 2003;1:2463-5. [PMID: 14675077] CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar3. Ackerman R, Estes J. Prognosis in idiopathic thrombophlebitis. Ann Intern Med. 1951;34:902-10. LinkGoogle Scholar4. Carrier M, Le Gal G, Wells PS, Fergusson D, Ramsay T, Rodger MA. Systematic review: the Trousseau syndrome revisited: should we screen extensively for cancer in patients with venous thromboembolism? Ann Intern Med. 2008;149:323-33. [PMID: 18765702] LinkGoogle Scholar5. Carrier M, Lazo-Langner A, Shivakumar S, Tagalakis V, Zarychanski R, Solymoss S, et al; SOME Investigators. Screening for occult cancer in unprovoked venous thromboembolism. N Engl J Med. 2015;373:697-704. [PMID: 26095467] doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1506623 CrossrefMedlineGoogle Scholar6. van Es N, LeGal G, Otten HM, Robin P, Piccioli A, Lecumberri R, et al. Screening for occult cancer in patients with unprovoked venous thromboembolism. A systematic review and meta-analysis of individual patient data. Ann Intern Med. 2017;167:410-7. doi:10.7326/M17-0868 LinkGoogle Scholar7. Trousseau A. Clinique médicale de l'Hôtel-Dieu de Paris. Genève-Paris-Bruxelles: Alliance Culturelle du Livre; 1963. Google Scholar Author, Article, and Disclosure InformationAffiliations: From Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.Disclosures: Authors have disclosed no conflicts of interest. Forms can be viewed at www.acponline.org/authors/icmje/ConflictOfInterestForms.do?msNum=M17-2030.Corresponding Author: Geno J. Merli, MD, Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Suite 2210 Gibbon, 111 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107; e-mail, geno.[email protected]edu.Current Author Addresses: Dr. Merli: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Suite 2210 Gibbon, 111 South 11th Street, Philadelphia, PA 19107.Dr. Weitz: Jefferson Heart Institute, 925 Chestnut Street, Suite 200, Philadelphia, PA 19107.This article was published at Annals.org on 22 August 2017. PreviousarticleNextarticle Advertisement FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsSee AlsoScreening for Occult Cancer in Patients With Unprovoked Venous Thromboembolism Nick van Es , Grégoire Le Gal , Hans-Martin Otten , Philippe Robin , Andrea Piccioli , Ramón Lecumberri , Luis Jara-Palomares , Piotr Religa , Virginie Rieu , Matthew Rondina , Mariëlle M. Beckers , Paolo Prandoni , Pierre-Yves Salaun , Marcello Di Nisio , Patrick M. Bossuyt , Harry R. Büller , and Marc Carrier Metrics Cited byHigh Altitude Induced Thrombosis: Challenges and Recent Advancements in Pathogenesis and ManagementCancer-Associated Thrombosis (CAT)Cerebral Thromboembolism after Lobectomy for Lung Cancer: Pathological Diagnosis and Mechanism of Thrombus Formation 19 September 2017Volume 167, Issue 6Page: 440-441KeywordsCancer detection and diagnosisCancer risk factorsCancer screeningComputed axial tomographyHospital medicinePelvisResearch laboratoriesThrombosisUltrasound imagingVenous thromboembolism ePublished: 22 August 2017 Issue Published: 19 September 2017 Copyright & PermissionsCopyright © 2017 by American College of Physicians. All Rights Reserved.PDF downloadLoading ...