The use of low molecular weight heparin (LMWH), an injectable, clot-preventing drug for patients with advanced cancer, increased steadily between 2000 and 2007, according to a new study published in The Oncologist. However, use of LMWH is low compared with another anticoagulant, warfarin, despite previous research demonstrating LMWH as the preferred treatment for patients with cancer suffering blood clots.
The study, led by Kaiser Permanente Colorado, examined data from the health records of patients with advanced breast, colorectal, lung, or prostate cancer who received treatment between January 2000 and December 2008.
During the course of the study, 25% of patients received LMWH as a primary treatment for blood clots. However, a majority of patients (74%) received warfarin-based therapy.
“Blood clots are a frequent complication in patients with cancer, so it’s essential to understand patterns of care and adherence to guideline recommendations for them,” said Tom Delate, PhD, study lead author. “Current medical literature on this topic is limited, so our findings will add tremendously to this knowledge gap and, hopefully, stimulate discussions on the need for comparative effectiveness research evaluations between blood clot anticoagulation therapies.”
Why warfarin has remained the favored anticoagulation therapy for advanced cancer patients was not determined by the study. However, warfarin has a long history of use in treatment of blood clots, and patients may prefer warfarin because it is available in tablet form, compared with the required daily injections of LMWH.
According to Delate, future studies should look at why the use of LMWH is lower than the use of warfarin and compare the effectiveness of LMWH and warfarin in patients with advanced cancer.
Source: Kaiser Permanente.