Malignancy is a risk factor for Venous thromboembolism (VTE) – which includes both Deep Venous Thrombosis (DVT) and Pulmonary Embolism (PE). Acute VTE is treated with anticoagulant therapy to prevent recurrent thrombosis. The risk of recurrent thrombosis is increased at least two-fold in patients with cancer compared with patients without cancer.
As an unfortunate double whammy - there is an increased risk of anticoagulant-induced bleeding in patients with cancer. Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) for at least 6 months has been the standard treatment for acute VTE in patients with cancer. A randomized, open-label, multicenter pilot trial - Anticoagulation Therapy in Selected Cancer Patients at Risk of Recurrence of Venous Thromboembolism (SELECT-D) – was conducted to assess the efficacy of a daily tablet of the direct oral anti-coagulant (DOAC) - rivaroxaban – as an alternative to the…
