JOPIC
Journal of Pulmonology and Intensive Care

The JoPIC is an independent-unbiased, peer-reviewed, and open-access journal of current national and international issues and reviews for original clinical and experimental research, interesting case reports, surgical techniques, differential diagnoses, editorial opinions, letters to the editor, and educational papers in pulmonology, thoracic surgery, occupational diseases, allergology, and intensive care medicine.

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Original Article
Comparison of pulmonary embolism in oncology patients with general population in terms of diagnosis, clinical features and prognosis
Abstract
Aims: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a frequent and potentially fatal complication in cancer patients. The diagnosis, treatment, and prognosis of cancer-associated PE (CA-PE) differ from the general population. The primary aim of this study was to compare the clinical presentation and severity of PE between patients with and without malignancy; the secondary aim was to compare short- and long-term mortality.
Methods: Between 2020 and 2023, patients with PE without malignancy (PE group), patients with CA-PE group, and patients with suspected PE in whom PE was excluded by imaging (control group), 80 in each group, were retrospectively analyzed. Symptoms, risk factors, laboratory data, embolism localization, and clinical scores (Wells, modified Geneva, and Khorana for malignancy) were recorded. Prognostic scores ( Pulmonary Embolism Severity Index [PESI], Bova, Pompe-C), mortality data (30-day, 3-month, 1-year), and modified Glasgow Prognostic Score were evaluated.
Results: The most common cancers were lung and brain tumors. In the CA-PE group, 67.5% were receiving active chemotherapy, and 50% had metastatic disease. Presenting symptoms were similar between the PE and CA-PE groups (dyspnea, p=0.10; chest pain, p=0.31), whereas both symptoms differed significantly from the control group (p<0.001). Embolism localization did not differ significantly between the groups. Inflammatory markers such as neutrophil/lymphocyte (p=0.006), monocyte/lymphocyte (p=0.01), and platelet/lymphocyte ratios (p=0.015) were higher in CA-PE. PESI score was significantly higher (p<0.01), whereas right ventricular dysfunction was not more frequent (p=0.129). Troponin-I and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) levels were similar. While 3-month and 1-year mortality rates were higher in CA-PE (p<0.01), 30-day mortality was similar.
Conclusion: Patients with CA-PE had higher inflammatory indices, but markers of PE severity were not worse than in patients without malignancy. Long-term all-cause mortality was higher in CA-PE, although cause-specific mortality was not assessed. Existing risk models may not be sufficient; malignancy-specific scoring systems are needed.

Keywords : Neoplasms, inflammation, mortality, prognosis, pulmonary embolism

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Ethical Statement

This study was approved by the Non-interventional Researches Ethics Committee of Bezmialem Vakıf University (Date: 26.07.2023, Decision No: 2023/232).

Informed Consent

As this was a retrospective study, formal written informed consent was not required and was therefore not obtained. This retrospective study used pre-existing anonymized patient data. No additional intervention was performed, and there was no direct patient contact. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee, and the requirement for written informed consent was waived by the ethics committee.

Author Contributions

Concept: DK, HO; Design: DK, HAB; Supervision: HAB; Data Collection and/or Processing: DK, HO; Analysis and/or Interpretation: HO, DK; Literature Review: DK; Writing Manuscript: DK, HO; Critical Review: HAB.

Conflict of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest related to this study.

Financial Disclosure

The authors received no financial support for the conduct or publication of this research.


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Article available in :
Volume 4, Issue 4, 2026
Page : 102-110
https://doi.org/10.51271/JOPIC-0089
Article Information
Received : 22 Tem 2026
Accepted : 13 Eki 2026
Published : 28 Eki 2026
Corresponding Author :

Hamza Ogun: Department of Pulmonology, Faculty of Medicine, Bezmialem Vakıf University, İstanbul, Turkiye

[email protected]
Citation : Karakuş D, Ogun H, Bircan HA. Comparison of pulmonary embolism in oncology patients with general population in terms of diagnosis, clinical features and prognosis. J Pulmonol Intens Care. 2026;4(4):102-110. doi:10.51271/JOPIC-0089

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