The risk of recurrent VTE and major bleeding in a commercially‐insured population of cancer patients treated with anticoagulation
American Journal of Hematology, November 25, 2018
Venous thromboembolism (VTE) – blood clots that begin in a vein – is the third leading vascular diagnosis in the US after heart attack and stroke, according to the American Heart Association. In a letter to the editor in American Journal of Hematology (AJH), a research team including Managing Principal Patrick Lefebvre, Vice President François Laliberté, and Associate Dominique Lejeune reported on their follow-up to a study comparing the risk of recurrent VTE and major bleeding among cancer patients who had been treated with rivaroxaban, warfarin, or low‐molecular weight heparin (LMWH).
As the original study evaluated an elderly population (age ≥65 years), the research team sought to assess a population approximately 10 years younger. In the follow-up study, the team found that rivaroxaban is associated with a lower risk of recurrent VTE than LMWH in this population, but that the rate of major bleeding does not differ significantly across treatments. They also found evidence that the real-world efficacy of LMWH was reduced by its shorter treatment durations.
AJH has also made available a video abstract animating aspects of this study among a younger population.