Rivaroxaban Used in the Treatment Patients With Gynecologic Cancer and Venous Thromboembolism: The Experience of Instituto Nacional de Câncer-Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

The incidence of major bleeding in adult patients with urogenital and gynecological cancer being treated with direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs): a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are the mainstay of treatment for venous thromboembolism (VTE) and non-valvular atrial fibrillation (AF), with or without an underlying cancer. Patients with cancer have a 2-3-fold increase in risk for bleeding complications compared to non-cancer patients taking anticoagulant therapy, however the incidence of bleeding for urogenital and gynecological cancers on DOACs are uncertain.

AIMS

To assess the bleeding risk associated with the use of DOACs in patients with urogenital and/or gynecological cancers.

METHOD

We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and prospective cohort studies to address the safety of DOACs for VTE and AF when used in patients with urogenital and/or gynecological malignancy. The primary outcomes assessed were major and clinically relevant non-major (CRNMB) bleeding, with minor bleeding considered as a secondary outcome. MEDLINE, EMBASE and COCHRANE Central Registry of Controlled Trials were searched up to and including Oct 28, 2022. The study protocol was registered in PROSPERO (CRD42022370981). Studies were independently assessed for inclusion and data extracted in duplicate.

RESULT

Seven studies met our inclusion criteria (Fig. 1): 2 RCTs and 5 prospective cohort studies. A total of 676 patients treated with DOACs were included, 628 (92.8%) had VTE and 48 (7.1%) had AF. In patients with VTE treated with DOACs, the pooled major bleeding rate was 2.1%, 95% confidence intervals (CI) 0.9-3.3% (Fig. 2). Pooled estimates could not be determined for AF patients given small event and patient numbers.

CONCLUSION

Major bleeding rates in urogenital and/or gynecological cancer patients treated with DOACs are similar to that of the general cancer population.

Comparison of rivaroxaban and dalteparin for the long-term treatment of venous thromboembolism in patients with gynecologic cancers

Objectives

Two randomized, controlled studies comparing outcomes in patients treated with direct oral anticoagulants or low-molecular weight heparin for cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) have previously been performed. However, gynecologic cancers accounted for approximately 10% of the study populations. We compared the outcomes of patients with primary gynecological cancers who were treated for cancer-associated VTE with either rivaroxaban or dalteparin.

Methods

The 162 eligible patients with gynecologic cancers who were treated with either dalteparin (n=60) or rivaroxaban (n=102) were reviewed. The primary outcome was a composite event, which included recurrence or clinically relevant bleeding events during the therapeutic period. Secondary outcomes were recurrence, clinically relevant bleeding events, and mortality.

Results

During the therapeutic period, there were no significant differences between the groups in the proportion of composite events, recurrence, or clinically relevant bleeding. Multivariate analysis using the Cox proportional hazards model also showed no significant difference in the number of composite events and clinically relevant bleeding between the groups. In the rivaroxaban group, 44.0% of patients experienced gastrointestinal bleeding and 24.0% experienced urinary tract bleeding. In the dalteparin group, bleeding was most common in the urinary tract (44.4%) and at the injection site (22.2%).

Conclusion

In this study, although there were no significant differences in effectiveness or safety between the rivaroxaban and dalteparin groups, rivaroxaban use was associated with a higher rate of clinically relevant bleeding than dalteparin. Therefore, caution should be taken when prescribing rivaroxaban for gynecologic cancer-associated VTE and bleeding events should be carefully monitored.