The oral blood thinner Xarelto (rivaroxaban) significantly reduced blood clots for high-risk patients with cancer being treated in the outpatient setting, according to results from the CASSINI trial published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
“Blood clots are really common in cancer patients. They can happen before the diagnosis, they can actually lead to the diagnosis of cancer, but most commonly they start after patients have started treatment for the cancer,” primary investigator Alok Khorana, M.D., medical oncologist at the Cleveland Clinic, said in an interview with CURE.
“The reason this is important for cancer patients is because they are quite prevalent,” he added. “A rough estimate is that one in five cancer patients will get a blood clot at some point during the natural history of their illness.”
In addition, blood thinners are often administered in the hospital setting when a patient is receiving treatment or with surgical care. However, with cancer treatment moving to the outpatient setting with oral drugs, these blood clots are occurring outside of the hospital, leaving patients at an extended risk.
