EPO and cancer: Khorana et al. developed a risk scoring system (Khorana risk score) to predict symptomatic VTE occurrence in patients with cancer receiving chemotherapy; the scoring system consists of five variables, including cancer site; platelet count ≥ 350 × 109/L, hemoglobin < 10 g/dL, and/or erythropoietin and leukocyte counts > 11,000/μL; and BMI ≥ 35 kg/m2 [24].