A study by the RIETE Group shows that a daily injection is associated with less severe bleeding and lower mortality

Cancer is one of the risk factors of venous thromboembolic disease (VTE). As well, both thrombosis and pulmonary embolism are very frequent in patients with certain type of tumor. 1 out of 5 patients with venous thromboembolic disease (VTE) has cancer, and 1 out of every 10-20 patients with cancer will develop VTE.

Investigators of the RIETE group have analyzed the evolution of 3.947 patients with cancer who, at the same time, had VTE (RIETE registry). More specifically, 629 patients had prostate cancer, 938 had breast cancer, 1.189 had colon cancer and 1.191 had lung cancer. Altogether, 55% had metastasis.

During anticoagulant therapy, that was extended for a mean time of five months, the risk of recurrences was similar to the risk of major bleedings in patients with breast cancer and colon cancer.

However, in the case of prostate cancer patients, more major bleeding cases than thromboembolic episodes recurrence were detected (more specifically, twice the cases of bleeding than VTE recurrence were registered).

And in patients with lung cancer, rate of thrombosis recurrence or pulmonary embolism was more than twice the chance of a small bleeding.

This study, published in The American Journal of Medicine, is the first analysis that suggests that we should not apply the same anticoagulant therapy to all cancer patients.