ABSTRACT

Atrial fibrillation (AF) can increase thrombosis, especially arterial thrombosis, and some studies show that AF patients have a higher risk of developing pulmonary embolism (PE). The objective of our study is to investigate whether there is a direct causal effect of AF on PE. A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach was utilized to determine whether there is a causal relationship between AF and PE. European population-based consortia provided statistical data on the associations between Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) and relevant traits. The AF dataset was obtained from genome-wide association studies (GWAS) comprising 60,620 cases and 970,216 controls, while a GWAS of 1846 cases and 461,164 controls identified genetic variations associated with PE. Estimation of the causal effect was mainly performed using the random effects inverse-variance weighted method (IVW). Additionally, other tests such as MR-Egger intercept, MR-PRESSO, Cochran's Q test, "Leave-one-out," and funnel plots were conducted to assess the extent of pleiotropy and heterogeneity. Using 70 SNPs, there was no evidence to suggest an association between genetically predicted AF and risk of PE with multiplicative random-effects IVW MR analysis (odds ratio = 1.0003, 95% confidence interval: 0.9998-1.0008, P = 0.20). A null association was also observed in other methods. MR-Egger regression and MR-PRESSO respectively showed no evidence of directional (intercept, - 2.25; P = 0.94) and horizontal(P-value in the global heterogeneity test = 0.99) pleiotropic effect across the genetic variants. No substantial evidence was found to support the causal role of AF in the development of PE. Causal effect of atrial fibrillation on pulmonary embolism: a Mendelian randomization study. AF atrial fibrillation, PE pulmonary embolism, GWAS genome-wide association studies, SNPs single nucleotide polymorphisms, OR odds ratio, CI confidence interval.

PMID:37839022 | DOI:10.1007/s11239-023-02903-w

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PubMed articles on: Cancer & VTE/PE

Intensify Standardized Anticoagulation for Cancer-Associated Pulmonary Embolism: From Single-Center Real-World Data

Clin Ther. 2023 Oct 12:S0149-2918(23)00378-8. doi: 10.1016/j.clinthera.2023.09.014. Online ahead of print.

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: Pulmonary embolism (PE) is a significant contributor to mortality in patients with cancer. Although anticoagulation serves as the cornerstone of treatment for cancer-associated PE, it has not been emphasized in real-world settings. The aim of this study was to examine the impact of suboptimal anticoagulant treatment on the prognosis of cancer-associated PE.

METHODS: A cohort of 356 individuals newly diagnosed with acute PE were enrolled. The primary outcome of the study was recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE), and the secondary outcomes were all-cause mortality and major bleeding (consisting of a reduction in the hemoglobin level by at least 20 g/L, transfusion of at least 2 units of blood, or symptomatic bleeding in a critical area or organ or fatal bleeding).

FINDINGS: Of the total participants, 156 (43.8%) were diagnosed with cancer. A comparison between the cancer and noncancer groups revealed that patients with cancer were more frequently asymptomatic (41.0% vs 4.5%; P < 0.001), less likely to have right ventricular dysfunction (4.5% vs 14.0%; P = 0.001), received less anticoagulant treatment during hospitalization (85.3% vs 98.5%; P < 0.001), and had a shorter duration of anticoagulation (5.02 [7.40] months vs 14.19 [10.65] months; P < 0.001). In addition, patients with cancer were found to be at a higher risk of recurrent VTE (17.3% vs 4.0%; P < 0.001) and all-cause mortality (23.7% vs 10.5%; P = 0.001). Multiple Cox regression analysis indicated that discontinuation of anticoagulation at 3 months was a significant risk factor for recurrent VTE in the cancer group (HR, 15.815; 95% CI, 3.047-82.079; P = 0.001).

IMPLICATIONS: The brief duration of anticoagulation therapy and elevated likelihood of recurrent VTE serve as cautionary indicators for the need to enhance awareness of standardized anticoagulant treatment for cancer-associated PE. The ultimate goal is to enhance patient prognosis and quality of life.

PMID:37838562 | DOI:10.1016/j.clinthera.2023.09.014

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PubMed articles on: Cancer & VTE/PE

Complications of Central Venous Access Devices Used in Palliative Care Settings for Terminally Ill Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Cancers (Basel). 2023 Sep 25;15(19):4712. doi: 10.3390/cancers15194712.

ABSTRACT

(1) Background: Central venous access devices (CVADs) have been commonly employed during various courses of anticancer treatment. Currently, there are a few types of clinically available CVADs, which are associated with short-term and long-term complications. However, little is known about the complication rates when CVADs are used only in palliative care settings. We therefore performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of all the published literature to evaluate the complication rates of CVADs in this clinical setting. (2) Methods: A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to identify publications from PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase (Ovid), Scopus, Cochrane Library, CINAHL, Google Scholar, and trial registries. Publications reporting the complication rates of PICCs, central lines, and PORTs in palliative settings for terminally ill cancer patients were included, while those on the use of systemic anticancer therapy and peripheral venous catheters were excluded. The outcome measures included overall complication rate, rate of catheter-related bloodstream infection (CRBSI), and rate of thromboembolism (TE). This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023404489). (3) Results: Five publications with 327 patients were analyzed, including four studies on PICCs and one study on central lines. No studies on PORTs were eligible for analysis. The overall complication rate for PICCs (pooled estimate 7.02%, 95% CI 0.27-19.10) was higher than that for central lines (1.44%, 95% CI 0.30-4.14, p = 0.002). The risk of CRBSI with PICCs (2.03%, 95% CI 0.00-9.62) was also higher than that with central lines (0.96%, 95% CI 0.12-3.41, p = 0.046). PICCs also had a trend of a higher risk of TE (2.10%, 95% CI 0.00-12.22) compared to central lines (0.48%, 95% CI 0.01-2.64, p = 0.061). (4) Conclusions: PICCs for palliative cancer care were found to have greater complications than central lines. This might aid in the formulation of future recommendation guidelines on the choice of CVAD in this setting.

PMID:37835406 | PMC:PMC10571956 | DOI:10.3390/cancers15194712

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PubMed articles on: Cancer & VTE/PE

Low-Dose Rivaroxaban to Prevent Recurrences of Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer: A Real-Life Experience with a Focus on Female Patients

J Clin Med. 2023 Oct 9;12(19):6427. doi: 10.3390/jcm12196427.

ABSTRACT

BACKGROUND: The way in which to prevent recurrent venous thromboembolism (VTE) is an unmet clinical need in cancer patients. International guidelines only provide conditional recommendations and do not specify which anticoagulant and dose should be used. In the last 2 years, we have been using low-dose rivaroxaban to prevent VTE recurrences in cancer patients. The results of this real-life experience are presented in this study.

METHODS: All patients had cancer and had previously completed a cycle of at least six months of full-dose anticoagulation for the treatment of a VTE index event, before receiving a prescription of low-dose rivaroxaban (10 mg once daily) for secondary prevention of VTE. Effectiveness and safety of this therapeutic regimen were evaluated in terms of VTE recurrences, major bleedings (MB), and clinically relevant non-major bleedings (CRNMB).

RESULTS: The analysis included 106 cancer patients. Their median age was 60 years (IQR 50-69). Metastatic cancer was present in 87 patients (82.1%). Six patients (5.7%) had brain metastases. Over a median follow-up time of 333 days (IQR 156-484), the incidence of VTE recurrences was 3.8% (95%CI 1.0-9.4), with a recurrence rate of 4.0 per 100 person-years (95%CI 1.1-10.2). We observed no MB (0.0%) and three CRNMB (2.8%) (95%CI 0.6-8.1).

CONCLUSIONS: Low-dose rivaroxaban is potentially effective and safe in cancer patients that require prevention of recurrent VTE. Large-scale studies are needed to confirm these findings.

PMID:37835070 | PMC:PMC10573527 | DOI:10.3390/jcm12196427

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PubMed articles on: Cancer & VTE/PE

Inhibition of Factor XI: A New Era in the Treatment of Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients?

Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Sep 22;24(19):14433. doi: 10.3390/ijms241914433.