[Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a common and severe complication of cancer. Deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are the second most common cause of death in cancer patients. Cancer, tumor-related factors as well as patient’s general condition and comorbidities are responsible for the increased risk of VTE. Chemotherapy is one of the most important risk factors for VTE, increasing incidence of VTE by 6.5-fold. In my paper, current guidelines for cancer VTE prevention and treatment are reviewed. Hospitalized patients with active tumor are at higher risk for VTE, and thrombosis prophylaxis is recommended in all cases. Extensive, routine prophylaxis for advanced cancer patients receiving chemotherapy is not recommended, but may be considered in high-risk ambulatory cancer patients (Khorana-score ≥ 3). Risk factors may change during the course of cancer disease, and the score should be continually reviewed and prophylactic treatment changed as necessary. LMWH is the recommended agent for both primary and secondary prophylaxis/treatment. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are knocking on our door, but results from further clinical trials are pending to determine their exact role.]

[Cancer- and chemotherapy-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a serious complication in patients with malignancies. Most important questions and challenges are summarized in the review and an attempt is made to answer some of them. Epidemiology, causes of thrombophilia and risk factor analysis including thrombogenicity of both tumorous disease and chemotherapy are discussed. The following special risk groups are detailed: (a) postoperative, (b) hospitalized non-surgical patients, (c) ambulatory patients with chemotherapy, (d) tumorous patients without chemotherapy. As conclusion, most important messages of the recent guidelines for preventing and treating cancer-associated thrombosis are discussed.]

[Brain abscesses are potentially serious, life-threatening diseases that pose a complex diagnostic challenge not only to neurosurgeons but also to clinical microbiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, infectologists. The etiology of brain abscess is usually polymicrobial, most commonly involving a variety of aerobic and obligate anaerobic bacteria. Epidemiological studies on the anaerobic etiology of brain abscesses are common between the time period of 1960s and 1980s, but today there are very few new publications on the subject. The role of anaerobic bacteria in this disease was presumably underdiagnosed for a very long time, as many laboratories did not have the adequate laboratory capabilities for their cultivation and identification. The purpose of this review is to summarize the available literature on the etiology of obligate anaerobic bacteria in brain abscesses, including their prevalence and current therapeutic recommendations.]