Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer patients. Cancer
patients have a four to sevenfold increased risk of VTE compared with non-cancer patients and
approximately 20% -30% of all VTE occurs in patients with cancer. Incidence of VTE varies with cancer
type and is the highest among patients with metastatic-stage disease. Assessing risk of VTE in the patients
with cancer and risk stratification tools as the Khorana score may predict VTE. The highest risk is associated
with cancers of the pancreas, stomach, brain, and lung and some hematologic malignancies, whereas lower
risks are associated with breast and prostate cancer. The incidence rate ratio (IRR) for prostate cancer is
3.25(2,56 - 4,13) and for pancreas 15.56 (10.50-23.0). We give a case report with a quite perplexing
undertaking, where a submassive acute pulmonary embolism (PE) originated from an asymptomatic calf
vein thrombosis or intertwined with the Trousseau´s syndrome.
Essential Section: One of the authors (A.T) was unexpected faced with the diagnosis of poorly
differentiated prostate cancer. There were no signs of the disease, the PSA level was normal. As a retired
medical oncologist, he had to care for many patients with prostate cancer and had now to cope with this
cancer. To make the matter worse he suffered after the radical prostatectomy a submassive asymptomatic
pulmonary embolism. Clinically there were no signs if a deep venous thrombosis. The coincidence of both
events without clinical signs of a thrombosis could be caused by the Trousseau´s syndrome. Prostasomes
extracellular vesicles synthesizes by prostate cancer cells and secreted into body fluids are prothrombotic
by virtue of the expression of polyphosphate-activated coagulation factor XII.
A case report of monitoring PSA level changes in two prostate cancer patients treated with Mountain Ginseng Pharmacopuncture and Sweet Bee Venom along with western anticancer therapy
