**7.2 Thromboprophylaxis in hospitalized or bedridden cancer patients**

As the incidence of VTE in cancer patients who require hospitalization is very high, therefore they would benefit from primary anticoagulant prophylaxis. However, it is likely that the absolute and relative benefit of primary thromboprophylaxis will vary greatly amongst different patient groups because of the heterogeneity of cancer patient. It appears that the greatest potential impact of primary prophylaxis would be in patients initially diagnosed with advanced disease particularly those who are candidates for chemotherapy. Another subgroup of patients who may warrant primary thromboprophylaxis are patients initially diagnosed with local, or regional-stage cancer who progress and develop metastatic cancer or when they are admitted to hospital with an acute illness. Those patients should always be considered for primary pharmacological as well as mechanical thromboprophylaxis. Although none of the clinical studies evaluated a cancer-specific population, consensus statements and guidelines unanimously support the use of prophylaxis in cancer patients admitted to hospitals.
