J Korean Med Sci.  2019 Jun;34(21):e160. 10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e160.

Rivaroxaban versus Low-Molecular-Weight Heparin for Venous Thromboembolism in Gastrointestinal and Pancreatobiliary Cancer

• Lee JH
• Oh YM
• Lee SD
• Lee JS

• KMID: 2456269
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3346/jkms.2019.34.e160

Abstract

BACKGROUND
Low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) is the standard treatment for venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients with active cancer. However, use of factor Xa inhibitors, such as rivaroxaban, is increasing on the basis of limited clinical evidence. The present single-center study compared the incidence of bleeding and other treatment outcomes in gastrointestinal and pancreatobiliary cancer (GI tract cancer) patients administered rivaroxaban or LMWH for the treatment of VTE.
METHODS
Retrospective data from 281 GI tract cancer patients who were treated for VTE with rivaroxaban (n = 78) or LMWH (n = 203) between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2016, were analyzed. Primary end-point was the incidence of major and clinically relevant bleeding. Secondary outcomes included the incidence of recurrent VTE and mortality.
RESULTS
Clinically relevant bleeding occurred in 19 patients (24.4%) in the rivaroxaban group and 31 (15.3%) in the LMWH group (P = 0.074). No inter-group difference was observed for rate of VTE recurrence (3.8% with rivaroxaban vs. 3.9% with LMWH; P > 0.999) or incidence of major bleeding (5.1% with rivaroxaban vs. 8.9% with LMWH; P = 0.296). Multivariate Cox proportional hazards analysis for age, cancer type, metastasis, history of chemotherapy or recent surgery, and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status revealed a 1.904-fold higher risk of bleeding with rivaroxaban than LMWH (1.031-3.516; P = 0.040). No significant inter-group difference was found in terms of hazard ratio for all-cause mortality.
CONCLUSION
Compared to LMWH, rivaroxaban was associated with a higher incidence of clinically relevant bleeding in GI tract cancer patients presenting with VTE.

Keyword

Venous Thromboembolism; Rivaroxaban; Stomach Cancer; Pancreatobiliary Cancer; Colorectal Cancer

MeSH Terms

Colorectal Neoplasms
Drug Therapy
Factor Xa Inhibitors
Gastrointestinal Tract
Hemorrhage
Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight*
Humans
Incidence
Mortality
Neoplasm Metastasis
Recurrence
Retrospective Studies
Rivaroxaban*
Stomach Neoplasms
Venous Thromboembolism*
Factor Xa Inhibitors
Heparin, Low-Molecular-Weight
Rivaroxaban