The incidence and risk of different indwelling times of peripherally inserted central catheter-related venous thrombosis in cancer patients: a retrospective analysis of 654 patients

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the incidence of peripherally inserted central catheter-related venous thrombosis (PICC-RVT) in cancer patients with different indwelling times after PICC catheterization, and to explore the main factors related to PICC-RVT in cancer patients. Methods A retrospective study of a total of 654 cancer patients who underwent PICC insertion was conducted from January 2020 to December 2021 in a tertiary hospital in Guangdong Province, China. The risk factors for PICC-RVT in cancer patients were analyzed by logistic regression, including the clinical symptoms of the patients and the monitoring of asymptomatic thrombosis in combination with color Doppler ultrasonography. Results The incidence of PICC-RVT in cancer patients reached 24.9% (n = 163), among which the incidence of thrombosis at 1 month, 3 months, and 6 months and more was 30.6% (n = 11), 25.5% (n = 37) and 18.89% (n = 115), respectively. Multivariable analysis identified 6 variables: "age", "sex", "BMI", “with or without chemotherapy ", "different catheter indwelling duration" and "different cancer types". We observed a trend for a higher risk of PICC-RVT in cancer patients who were male (OR = 1.46, P  = 0.035), were older than 69 years (OR = 1.76, P  = 0.08), had a BMI < 18.5 (OR = 0.47, P  = 0.015), and did not undergo chemotherapy (OR = 0.52, P  = 0.048), which were determined to be independent influencing factors for PICC-RVT in cancer patients. Conclusion PICCs had a high incidence of thrombosis in the early indwelling period. The results suggest that patients with cancer who are male, elderly, emaciated, and not receiving chemotherapy should be monitored and treated to prevent PICC-RVT.