Most of the patients undergoing treatment for cancer require placement of a
totally implantable venous access device to facilitate safe delivery of
chemotherapy. However, implantable ports also increase the risk of deep vein
thrombosis and related complications in this high-risk population. The objective
of this study was to assess the incidence of upper-extremity deep vein
thrombosis (UEDVT) in patients with breast cancer to determine whether the risk
of UEDVT was higher with chest versus arm ports, as well as to determine the
importance of previously reported risk factors predisposing to UEDVT in the
setting of active cancer. We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of 297
women with breast cancer who had ports placed in our institution between the
dates of December 1, 2010, and December 31, 2016. The primary outcome was the
development of radiologically confirmed UEDVT ipsilateral to the implanted port.
Overall, 17 of 297 study subjects (5.7%) were found to have UEDVT. There was 1
documented case of associated pulmonary embolism. Fourteen (9.5%) of 147
subjects with arm ports experienced UEDVT compared with only 3 (2.0%) of 150
subjects with chest ports (P = .0056). Thus, implantation of
arm ports as opposed to chest ports may be associated with a higher rate of
UEDVT in patients with breast cancer.
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