Problem identification: The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with lymphoma may be overlooked because patients often experience thrombocytopenia from the disease or chemotherapy. A meta-analysis was conducted to identify the prevalence of and risk factors for VTE in patients with lymphoma.
Literature search: A systematic search of Embase®, Web of Science, PubMed®, and Cochrane Library databases was conducted to identify relevant studies investigating VTE in patients with lymphoma.
Data evaluation: The methodologic quality of the eligible observational studies was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. Stata, version 12.0, was used to perform the meta-analysis.
Synthesis: Female sex, older age, history of VTE, a diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, Ann Arbor stage III-IV disease, a higher performance status score, bulky disease, central nervous system involvement, a white blood cell count greater than 11 × 109/L, a D-dimer level greater than 0.5 mg/L, central venous catheterization, and treatment with doxorubicin were significant risk factors for VTE.
Implications for practice: This meta-analysis identified risk factors for VTE, which may provide a theoretical foundation for clinical staff to conduct early assessment and identification of high-risk VTE groups, allowing for timely intervention.
Keywords: assessment; lymphoma; meta-analysis; risk factors; venous thromboembolism.