VTE Is Highly Prevalent in Some Hematologic Cancers

Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is highly prevalent among hospitalized patients with multiple myeloma (MM), non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL), and Hodgkin lymphoma (HL), according to research presented at the American Society of Clinical Oncology’s 2018 Annual Meeting.

These findings emerged from a study performed by Kahee A. Mohammed, MD, MPH, of the Saint Louis University Center for Health Outcomes Research, and colleagues. For their study, they analyzed 2008-2013 data from the Nationwide Inpatient Sample on 518,648 hospitalized patients aged 18 years or older with hematologic malignancies.
_____________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
FDA Approves New Dose for VTE Drug
Multiple Myeloma: Screening High-Risk Patients Lowers Risk of Death
_____________________________________________________________________________

Following adjustment for patient and hospital level variation in outcomes, results of the study indicated that the prevalence of VTE was highest among patients with MM (4.2%), followed by NHL (4.0%) and HL (3.8%).

VTE was found to be associated with a higher risk of in-hospital mortality in all hematologic malignancies but was most evident among patients with NHL (odds ratio [OR] 2.2), HL (OR 1.9), and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (OR 1.9).

Notably, patients with VTE had a doubled risk for prolonged hospitalization and doubled total hospital charges compared with patients without VTE.

“Strategies for early detection of VTE and prompt management should be targeted to reduce morbidity and healthcare cost,” the researchers wrote.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Mohammed KA, Ahmed Z, Boakye EA, et al. Prevalence and short-term outcomes of venous thromboembolism in hospitalized patients with hematologic malignancies: A nationwide analysis. J Clin Oncol. 2018;Suppl; abstr e18728. https://meetinglibrary.asco.org/record/159853/abstract