Anticoagulants for the treatment of venous thromboembolism in patients with cancer: An updated pairwise and network meta-analysis of randomized trials.

Abstract

e14692 Background: Cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) is common. Although low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) is the standard therapy in this setting, little is known with regard to non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs). Therefore, we thought about evaluating the safety and efficacy of various anticoagulants in this vulnerable population. Methods: Electronic database search was conducted to identify randomized clinical trials (RCTs) that compared LMWH, NOACs, and/or vitamin-K-antagonists (VKA) in cancer patients. We performed frequentist direct and Bayesian network meta-analysis using random-effects model to calculate odds ratios (ORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), and 95% credible intervals (CrIs). The primary outcome was VTE (pulmonary embolism and deep-vein thrombosis) recurrence. Secondary outcomes were major bleeding and all-cause mortality. Results: We identified 13 RCTs with 6,595 total patients (mean age 62.4 ± 12.2; 50.4% female; 17.7% hematological malignancies; and 6 months median follow-up). The most common cancer type was colorectal and 48% of the population had metastatic cancer at baseline. NOACs were associated with significantly reduced VTE recurrence compared with VKA (OR = 0.58; 95% CI = 0.40-0.83; P < 0.01; number needed to treat [NNT] = 40) and LMWH (OR = 0.46; 95% CI = 0.25-0.85; P = 0.01; NNT = 20). LMHW was associated with significantly reduced VTE recurrence compared with VKA (OR = 0.52; 95% CI = 0.39-0.71; P < 0.01; NNT = 18). NOACs were associated with significantly reduced major bleeding compared with VKA (OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.35-0.91; P = 0.02; NNT = 64). There was no significant difference identified between the anticoagulant groups in regard to all-cause mortality. Conclusions: Among cancer patients with VTE, NOACs were associated with significantly reduced VTE recurrence compared to LMWH and VKA, and significantly reduced major bleeding compared with VKA. LMWH was associated with significantly reduced VTE recurrence compared with VKA.