What's new in the prevention and treatment of cancer-associated thrombosis?

Use of direct oral anticoagulants and low molecular weight heparin in venous thromboembolism associated with cancer: real-world evidence in Argentina

BACKGROUND

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) and major bleeding (MB) are common in cancer patients. Reduced-doses of antithrombotics as secondary prophylaxis have limited data. This work aims to describe and to compare treatments and outcomes for cancer-associated VTE.

RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS

Retrospective study. Adults with cancer-associated VTE were included. After 3-6 months of full-doses of anticoagulants, three strategies were considered: A) lowering the doses; B) maintaining full-doses; C) stopping treatment. The strategy and medication used were shown in a descriptive analysis and the rate of bleeding and VTE-recurrence between those in a comparative analysis.

RESULTS

A total of 420 patients were included, 56.2% received DOACs, 43.8% enoxaparin. Strategy was defined in 257 patients: A (50.2%), B (46.3%), and C (3.5%). Forty-one (9.8%) had VTE-recurrence and 15 (3.6%) had MB or clinically relevant non-major bleeding (CRNMB).According to strategy, recurrent-VTE was 8.5% (A), 4.2% (B), and 11.1 (C) (p = 0.22), MB or CRNMB was 0.8% (A), 1.7% (B), and 0% (C) (p = 0.64).

CONCLUSIONS

DOACs and strategy A were the most frequently used agent and strategy, respectively. There were no differences between medications or strategies used. The results must be interpreted with caution, and it is a retrospective single-center study, probably with information and selection bias.

Direct oral anticoagulants and cancer-associated VTE: good for all, or just some?

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is associated with significant mortality and morbidity in patients with cancer. Therefore, tailoring anticoagulation is of utmost importance to decrease the risk of recurrent VTE while minimizing the risk of bleeding. Direct oral anticoagulants have been recently compared with low-molecular-weight heparin for the management of acute cancer-associated thrombosis. Although direct oral anticoagulants are a welcome addition, clinicians need to incorporate clinical characteristics, drug-drug interactions, and patient preference in decision making.

Mechanisms and biomarkers of cancer-associated thrombosis

Cancer-associated thrombosis is a leading cause of non-cancer death in cancer patients and is comprised of both arterial and venous thromboembolism (VTE). There are multiple risk factors for developing VTE, including cancer type, stage, treatment, and other medical comorbidities, which suggests that the etiology of thrombosis is multifactorial. While cancer-associated thrombosis can be treated with anticoagulation, benefits of therapy must be balanced with the increased bleeding risks seen in patients with cancer. Although risk models exist for primary and recurrent VTE, additional predictors are needed to improve model performance and discrimination of high-risk patients. This review will outline the diverse mechanisms driving thrombosis in cancer patients, as well as provide an overview of biomarkers studied in thrombosis risk and important considerations when selecting candidate biomarkers.

Analysis of Effectiveness, Safety, and Bleeding Related to Rivaroxaban in Elderly Patients

This study explored the efficacy and safety of rivaroxaban in elderly patients, at different doses and age of patients, and analyzed risk factors of bleeding. A retrospective analysis was conducted of 299 patients aged 60 years or older who were admitted to the First Hospital of Jilin University between January 2016 and August 2018. It was found that the rate of bleeding events (but not embolism) significantly increased as the dose of oral rivaroxaban increased (P < .001), and with age, especially in patients aged ≥80 years (P = .001, both). The multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that age (odds ratio [OR]: 2.963, 95% CI: 1.627-5.396) and the daily dose of rivaroxaban (OR: 2.325, 95% CI: 1.483-3.645) were independent risk factors for bleeding. The study determined that rivaroxaban anticoagulant therapy is effective in the elderly patients, but the risk of bleeding increases with age, and is a concern especially in the most old patients. The recommended daily dose of rivaroxaban is effective, but a lower dose is safer for the elderly patients.