Venous thromboembolism is common in patients undergoing oxaliplatin, capecitabine, and epirubicin chemotherapy for esophagogastric cancer, according to Dr. Anders Christian Larsen of Aalborg (Denmark) University Hospital and associates.
There were 21 cases of VTE among the 129 patients with esophagogastric cancer, a rate of 16%. Of the VTE cases, 14 were asymptomatic and 7 were symptomatic. Gastric cancer and late-stage cancer were significant VTE risk factors, with odds ratios of 6.4 and 5.2, respectively. The median survival time was 18 months in non-VTE patients and 14 months in VTE patients.
“The extent of treatment-related VTE in upper GI cancer patients (with active cancer) receiving both chemotherapy and curative intended surgery may be greater than previously estimated. … Our data demonstrate the need to address this clinical problem with randomized clinical trials on VTE prophylaxis, particularly in patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy for resectable cancer disease,” the investigators concluded.
The authors said that there were no conflicts; the study was funded by private foundations.
Find the full study in Thrombosis Research.
