Are you taking hormones or have a autoimmune disease? Sometimes that can make you more prone to clotting.

Sometimes clots can be caused by cancer. . But I'd wager most of us here who've clotted for no apparent reason do not have cancer. Does he have reason to suspect you have a malignancy or is discussing testing you for a malignancy? Some docs will order a abdomen CT scan or colonoscopy to rule out cancer.

One thing my hematologist told me is that normally, if it's from cancer, you'd be symptomatic of the cancer first before yuor clots would appear. I know that's not always the case, but that's something to consider as well.

Has your doc referred you to a hematologist to discuss reasons why you may have clotted, genetic testing for clotting factors etc?

Ask for a referral to a hematologist. After four months, I finally saw one this week and I learned so very much. Your doctor, in my opinion, should not have put Cancer in you thought's without the proper work up and tests.

I assume he went through all the usual options with possible causes: birth control, HRT, dehydration, ankle/leg injuries, family history, and so on.

Honestly, I've been on these boards for more than three years and can only remember a couple of people who had clots caused by cancer and they usually knew of the cancer well before the clots showed up. It is a possibility, but a really slim one for the vast majority of patients. I think your doctor was wrong when he used the word "often" to say that this occurs a lot. It really doesn't. I mean, lots of clot patients may wind up getting screened for cancer, but really very, very few of us seem to wind up with it.

In truth, many of us don't know why we clot. Hopefully your doc has referred you to a hematologist (most of them work out of cancer clinics, but don't let that freak you out) to check you out and to maybe run some clotting disorder tests. Without knowing your age, it is hard to say what other possible causes might be.

I've clotted three times and I've been tested three times for clotting disorders. I'm negative for everything and I also don't have cancer. Really, there are more "unexplained" clotting events out there than the doctors will lead you to believe. You might wind up finding a cause for your clot and you might not and even if you do find a cause, no reason to assume it'll be cancer this early in the game.

Hang in there! Get some more info and consult with another doc before getting too freaked out over the Big C word.

One thing I found was that my hematologist and my insurance did NOT require a referral. I just looked one up in the same network as my primary doctor and scheduled an appointment. I also found out that many hematologist are part of a cancer center, so if there is a need to be concerned about cancer, they will be a good resource.

Yes, I have heard that, but here I am with two Ideopathic clots, no apparent reasons for me to have clots, I was in shape,no familly history... Nothing, but still here I am, a lifer on anticoags for two Ideopathic clot.

AND no cancer.

Guys - THANKS!!!

I was "screened" for all the usual suspects for DVT. All negative. I have had the screenings done for genetic traits, and am waiting for the results. I do not have a hematologist, yet.

I will tell you this. My doc is not a big fan of mine. I tend to be one of those patients that don't go to a doc unless I am sick, therefore I do not go very often. She was already peeved with me for not coming to her on a regular basis, and this emergency has put her over. She was very "short" with me today. Maybe that's why she dropped the "C" word!!

Keep in mind that not all of the genetic/blood disorder tests can be done while you are taking warfarin. Hopefully your doc only ran the ones that are unaffected... might be something to keep in mind when the results come back.

Also, maybe time to find a new doc?

No, a doc shouldn't punish you by threatening cancer that's for sure. I'd confront her and say, hey do you think I have cancer and if so, what tests will you perform to determine that. Because that's BS to just throw that in your face as sort of a "take that" kind of thing.

Now sounds like a good time to demonstrate to your doctor that you are taking a more proactive approach for your healthcare by switching your care for your DVT to a hematologist.

You may also find that you start to be more proactive overall with more preventive care, so you may want to look for another general practitioner as well.

Good luck.

Well to be honest, one of the reasons we should establish care with a PCP or Internist and see them regularly (once every year or two) is so that when shit hits the fan, like a clot or other health issue, you have an advocate and someone to help you manage that.

I am a 37 year old with a clot and no cause. Healthy, not overweight, eat right and exercise. No bcp, no long trips, no surgery, no clotting disorders. Now did I end up here?? No one knows. :-(

All of my bw has turned out normal and I keep up on all of my preventive health screenings (it is the only thing my insurance actually pays for) and all is normal. No one has mentioned the c word, as unfortunately, I think that idiopathic clots are slightly common. My doctor thinks I injured my groin muscle, which caused the clot, but I think he is crazy. I am not sure why this happened. I do plan on asking my doctors about these things, to make sure I don't need any further tests, etc.

I think I mentioned in another thread here that when I was in hospital with my PE and DVT, my mom didn't live near me and so she got the learned I was really ill and in the hospital, she called me within hours of having been admitted into the ICU and I'm not kidding, the first thing that came out of her mouth after asking me if I was ok was to tell me that blood clots can be from cancer. Always a ray of sunshine, that one.

Yes...that is so awful, rmb. Like my MIL saying that maybe I had heart disease. Thanks, lady. ;-)

I am always in shock how easily people feel they can drop the c-bomb. Doctors should be especially careful with that kind of thing. I just did a quick google on it, and it (inate.org) said that only 10% of unexplained DVTs are caused by cancer. That's a pretty low number. Then you take into account that at least half of those (just pulling a number out of my butt) probably developed the clot BECAUSE of the cancer and therefore knew about the cancer pre-clotting, and your odds are pretty good. You're up to about a 95% chance that your clot is just "one of those things" and far from often being traced to cancer, as your doctor says. I find it hard to believe that an active person (such as yourself) who is well aware of his/her body wouldn't notice other symptoms of the cancer before the clot was diagnosed. But again, I'm just guessing.

I heard the same thing with my first clot too, which had no assignable cause - "could be due to cancer". That was over 3 years ago. Like everyone else has said, cancer is not that likely of a cause for your clotting episode. Hopefully you are on coumadin (or similar other blood thinner) for 3-6 months and then can get on with your life, never to have any clotting issues again.