Use of Direct Oral Anticoagulants for Treating Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Cancer.

Use of Direct Oral Anticoagulants for Treating Venous Thromboembolism in Patients With Cancer. J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2018 May;16(5S):670-673 Authors: Soff GA Abstract For patients with cancer who experience venous thromboembolism (VTE), low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) remains the standard of care in the NCCN Guidelines for VTE, but under certain conditions direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are acceptable alternatives. A growing body of literature suggests that DOACs may more effective than LMWHs in preventing recurrences, but they do carry some increased risk of bleeding. Most of this risk is seen in patients with gastrointestinal or urinary pathology or implanted devices. DOACs are also acceptable when the pain, cost, and inconvenience of LMWHs are expected to be obstacles to compliance. Through careful patient selection, most patients can be treated successfully with a DOAC, although for most patients with gastrointestinal or urinary pathology, LMWH remains the safer choice. PMID: 29784753 [PubMed - in process]
Source: Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network : JNCCN - Category: Cancer & Oncology Tags: J Natl Compr Canc Netw Source Type: research