Long-Term Incidence of Venous Thromboembolism in Cancer: The Scandinavian Thrombosis and Cancer Cohort

• Published in: TH open : companion journal to thrombosis and haemostasis Vol. 2; no. 2; pp. e131 - e138
• Main Authors: Gade, Inger Lise, Brækkan, Sigrid K., Næss, Inger Anne, Hansen, John-Bjarne, Cannegieter, Suzanne C., Rosendaal, Frits R., Overvad, Kim, Hindberg, Kristian, Hammerstrøm, Jens, Gran, Olga V., Tjønneland, Anne, Severinsen, Marianne T., Kristensen, Søren R.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Stuttgart · New York Georg Thieme Verlag KG 01.04.2018
• Subjects: cancer; Clinical medical disciplines: 750; epidemiology; Health sciences: 800; Helsefag: 800; Klinisk medisinske fag: 750; Medical disciplines: 700; Medisinske Fag: 700; Oncology: 762; Onkologi: 762; Original; Original Article; prospective studies; time factors; VDP; venous thromboembolism; epidemiology; cancer; time factors; venous thromboembolism; prospective studies
• ISSN: 2512-9465; 2567-3459; 2512-9465
• DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1641678

Abstract The risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in patients who survive the first years after a cancer diagnosis after the acute effects of disease and treatment in comparison to a similar background population has been sparsely investigated. The aim of the study was to investigate if incidence rates (IRs) of VTE differed in patients who were alive at least 2 years after a cancer diagnosis without VTE compared with cancer-free references in a population-based cohort study. The study entry was 2 years after a first cancer diagnosis. For each cancer-exposed subject, five reference subjects were identified within the cohort. The IRs were calculated as number of VTEs per 1,000 person years (×10 −3 p-y) in total and in distinct cancer types and corresponding reference subjects. Incidence rate ratios (IRRs) were calculated by Poisson's regression. During a mean follow-up of 5.3 years, 110 VTEs occurred among the 7,288 cancer-exposed subjects and 321 VTEs occurred among the 36,297 identified reference subjects. The IR of VTE was higher for cancer-exposed subjects compared with reference subjects, IRs 3.7 × 10 −3 p-y, 95% CI: 3.1 to 4.5 and 1.9 × 10 −3 p-y, 95% CI: 1.7 to 2.2, respectively. IRs of VTE in most solid cancer types declined to almost the same level as in the reference subjects 2 years after cancer diagnosis, but remained higher in hematological cancers, IRR 4.0, 95% CI: 2.0 to 7.8.