Introduction:
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) presents a challenge in the management of cancer patients and is a common cause of morbidity and mortality. Bladder cancer (BC) patients are at high risk of VTE; however, the problem is not well quantified. Patients’ understanding of cancer-associated thrombosis (CAT) early in their cancer pathway has hitherto been neglected. The aims of this study, ‘VTE-BC’, are to investigate the scope of VTE in patients with BC in the UK and explore patients’ understanding of CAT from their experience of having BC and treatments.

Methods:
A sequential mixed-methods study was applied: i) quantitative (Phase I) to explore the incidence and risk factors for VTE in BC, by cohort and case-control analysis, followed by ii) qualitative (Phase II) through semi-structured interviews among patients with BC and healthcare professionals (HCPs), utilising thematic analysis.

Results:
VTE incidence in patients with BC was around 6.0 per 1000 from national datasets, lower than previously published. Cystectomy and stage IV disease significantly increased the risk of VTE in BC patients; adjusted odds ratio (OR); OR 2.88 (95% CI 1.63-5.07), P