“These results argue for careful consideration of risk assessment models, such as the Caprini score, when a surgical procedure is planned for a patient with keratinocyte carcinoma and no other risk factors for VTE in order to limit unnecessary exposure to the potential risk of VTE chemoprophylaxis,” Dr. Rudy and her coauthors wrote.
The Caprini score is a commonly used, validated, VTE risk stratification model that assigns points to specific risk factors, producing a score that can be used to decide on prophylaxis regimens, they noted.
A present or previous cancer diagnosis is worth 2 points in the Caprini system, which would put a patient at the upper end of the “low risk” category, while one additional risk factor such as planned minor surgery would indicate moderate risk.
“Recently, Caprini has begun to exclude basal cell carcinoma from this calculation, but no reference to evidence is given,” the researchers wrote.
Dr. Rudy and her coauthors had no conflicts of interest to disclose.
SOURCE: Rudy SF et al. JAMA Facial Plast Surg. 2018 May 24. doi: 10.1001/jamafacial.2018.0331.