BACKGROUND: Current clinical practice guidelines all recommend the use of therapeutic doses of low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) for the initial and long-term treatment of cancer-related thrombosis. The use of vitamin-K antagonists (VKA) is acceptable if LMWH is not available. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been shown to be comparable to conventional therapy for the acute treatment of VTE but their efficacy and safety in cancer patients remains uncertain. METHODS: A systematic literature search strategy was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the EBM reviews. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting rates of recurrent VTE and major bleeding in cancer patients were included. Relative risks (RR) (95% confidence intervals (CI)) for these outcomes were generated. RESULTS: A total of 9 RCTs (2310 patients) were included in our analysis. In comparison to VKA, LMWH showed a significant reduction in recurrent VTE events (RR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.74) whereas DOACs did not (RR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.39 to 1.11). LMWH was associated with a non significant increase in the risk of major bleeding (RR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.5 to 2.23) whereas DOACs showed a non significant reduction (RR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.42 to 1.44). Annualized risks of recurrent VTE and major bleeding among patients randomized to VKA were higher in the LMWH studies as compared to the studies assessing DOACs suggesting that a higher risk cancer population were enrolled in the LMWH studies. CONCLUSIONS: LMWH should be used for the treatment of acute cancer-associated thrombosis. The use DOACs cannot be supported until trials comparing them to LMWH are conducted.
BACKGROUND: Current clinical practice guidelines all recommend the use of therapeutic doses of low molecular weight heparins (LMWH) for the initial and long-term treatment of cancer-related thrombosis. The use of vitamin-K antagonists (VKA) is acceptable if LMWH is not available. Direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) have been shown to be comparable to conventional therapy for the acute treatment of VTE but their efficacy and safety in cancerpatients remains uncertain. METHODS: A systematic literature search strategy was conducted using MEDLINE, EMBASE, and the EBM reviews. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting rates of recurrent VTE and major bleeding in cancerpatients were included. Relative risks (RR) (95% confidence intervals (CI)) for these outcomes were generated. RESULTS: A total of 9 RCTs (2310 patients) were included in our analysis. In comparison to VKA, LMWH showed a significant reduction in recurrent VTE events (RR: 0.52; 95% CI: 0.36 to 0.74) whereas DOACs did not (RR: 0.66; 95% CI: 0.39 to 1.11). LMWH was associated with a non significant increase in the risk of major bleeding (RR: 1.06; 95% CI: 0.5 to 2.23) whereas DOACs showed a non significant reduction (RR: 0.78; 95% CI: 0.42 to 1.44). Annualized risks of recurrent VTE and major bleeding among patients randomized to VKA were higher in the LMWH studies as compared to the studies assessing DOACs suggesting that a higher risk cancer population were enrolled in the LMWH studies. CONCLUSIONS:LMWH should be used for the treatment of acute cancer-associated thrombosis. The use DOACs cannot be supported until trials comparing them to LMWH are conducted.
Authors: Hui-Ming Chang; Tochukwu M Okwuosa; Tiziano Scarabelli; Rohit Moudgil; Edward T H Yeh Journal: J Am Coll Cardiol Date: 2017-11-14 Impact factor: 24.094
Authors: M Carrier; A Lazo-Langner; S Shivakumar; V Tagalakis; P L Gross; N Blais; C A Butts; M Crowther Journal: Curr Oncol Date: 2015-02 Impact factor: 3.677
Authors: Danielle Menosi Gualandro; Pai Ching Yu; Bruno Caramelli; André Coelho Marques; Daniela Calderaro; Luciana Savoy Fornari; Claudio Pinho; Alina Coutinho Rodrigues Feitosa; Carisi Anne Polanczyk; Carlos Eduardo Rochitte; Carlos Jardim; Carolina L Z Vieira; Debora Y M Nakamura; Denise Iezzi; Dirk Schreen; Eduardo Leal Adam; Elbio Antonio D'Amico; Emerson Q de Lima; Emmanuel de Almeida Burdmann; Enrique Indalecio Pachón Mateo; Fabiana Goulart Marcondes Braga; Fabio S Machado; Flavio J de Paula; Gabriel Assis Lopes do Carmo; Gilson Soares Feitosa-Filho; Gustavo Faibischew Prado; Heno Ferreira Lopes; João R C Fernandes; José J G de Lima; Luciana Sacilotto; Luciano Ferreira Drager; Luciano Janussi Vacanti; Luis Eduardo Paim Rohde; Luis F L Prada; Luis Henrique Wolff Gowdak; Marcelo Luiz Campos Vieira; Maristela Camargo Monachini; Milena Frota Macatrão-Costa; Milena Ribeiro Paixão; Mucio Tavares de Oliveira; Patricia Cury; Paula R Villaça; Pedro Silvio Farsky; Rinaldo F Siciliano; Roberto Henrique Heinisch; Rogerio Souza; Sandra F M Gualandro; Tarso Augusto Duenhas Accorsi; Wilson Mathias Journal: Arq Bras Cardiol Date: 2017 Jan-Feb Impact factor: 2.000
Authors: André Arpad Faludi; Maria Cristina de Oliveira Izar; José Francisco Kerr Saraiva; Ana Paula Marte Chacra; Henrique Tria Bianco; Abrahão Afiune; Adriana Bertolami; Alexandre C Pereira; Ana Maria Lottenberg; Andrei C Sposito; Antonio Carlos Palandri Chagas; Antonio Casella; Antônio Felipe Simão; Aristóteles Comte de Alencar; Bruno Caramelli; Carlos Costa Magalhães; Carlos Eduardo Negrão; Carlos Eduardo Dos Santos Ferreira; Carlos Scherr; Claudine Maria Alves Feio; Cristiane Kovacs; Daniel Branco de Araújo; Daniel Magnoni; Daniela Calderaro; Danielle Menosi Gualandro; Edgard Pessoa de Mello; Elizabeth Regina Giunco Alexandre; Emília Inoue Sato; Emilio Hideyuki Moriguchi; Fabiana Hanna Rached; Fábio César Dos Santos; Fernando Henpin Yue Cesena; Francisco Antonio Helfenstein Fonseca; Henrique Andrade Rodrigues da Fonseca; Hermes Toros Xavier; Isabela Cardoso Pimentel Mota; Isabela de Carlos Back Giuliano; Jaqueline Scholz Issa; Jayme Diament; João Bosco Pesquero; José Ernesto Dos Santos; José Rocha Faria; José Xavier de Melo; Juliana Tieko Kato; Kerginaldo Paulo Torres; Marcelo Chiara Bertolami; Marcelo Heitor Vieira Assad; Márcio Hiroshi Miname; Marileia Scartezini; Neusa Assumpta Forti; Otávio Rizzi Coelho; Raul Cavalcante Maranhão; Raul Dias Dos Santos; Renato Jorge Alves; Roberta Lara Cassani; Roberto Tadeu Barcellos Betti; Tales de Carvalho; Tânia Leme da Rocha Martinez; Viviane Zorzanelli Rocha Giraldez; Wilson Salgado Journal: Arq Bras Cardiol Date: 2017-07 Impact factor: 2.000