Articles tagged with: Blood Clots
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Results from a recent French study based on data from clinical practice indicate that vitamin K antagonists and low-molecular weight heparin are more effective than aspirin in preventing clots during myeloma treatment with the immunomodulatory drugs thalidomide or Revlimid.
Specifically, 7 percent of patients receiving aspirin developed blood clots, compared to 3 percent of patients receiving low-molecular weight heparin and 0 percent receiving a vitamin K antagonist such as warfarin (Coumadin).
Interestingly, the rate of blood clot formation was lowest among patients with the highest risk of developing blood clots, which the …
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ASCO Updates Recommendations For Use Of Medications To Prevent Blood Clots In Myeloma Patients – Experts from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recently updated their clinical practice guidelines on the prevention and treatment of blood clots in cancer patients. The guidelines recommend that multiple myeloma patients who are receiving Revlimid (lenalidomide) or thalidomide (Thalomid) with chemotherapy or dexamethasone (Decadron) should receive medication to prevent blood clots. Specifically, those who are at low risk of developing a blood clot should receive preventative treatment with either low-molecular weight heparin or low-dose aspirin, and those who are at high risk of developing a blood clot should receive low-molecular weight heparin. The guidelines also note that novel oral anti-clotting agents are not recommended for cancer patients until more research is complete. Patients should also be routinely assessed for risk of developing a blood clot, according to the guidelines. For more information, please see the updated guidelines in the Journal of Clinical Oncology (pdf).
Gossypol May Slow Myeloma Cell Growth – Results from a recent preclinical study indicate that a compound known as gossypol may be able to slow myeloma cell growth. Gossypol is derived from the cotton plant. It has been used as a male contraceptive and has shown promise for the treatment of a number of types of cancer. It works by inhibiting two proteins called Bcl-2 and Bcl-xl that prevent cell death and are often overabundant in cancer cells. Based on their findings, the researchers recommend further study of gossypol as a single-agent therapy or in combination with other chemotherapeutic drugs for the treatment of multiple myeloma. For more information, please refer to the study in Oncology Reports (abstract),
High-Risk Chromosomal Abnormalities Are More Common In Hypodiploid Myeloma Than Other Non-Hyperdiploid Types Of Myeloma – Findings from a recent retrospective analysis show that patients with hypodiploid multiple myeloma more frequently have high-risk chromosomal abnormalities than patients with other forms of non-hyperdiploid myeloma. Myeloma patients can be classified based on the number of chromosomes their myeloma cells have. Normally, each cell in the body has 46 chromosomes. Some types of myeloma, however, have more or fewer chromosomes than the normal cell. For example, patients with hyperdiploid myeloma have between 47 and 75 chromosomes. Non-hyperdiploid myeloma includes hypodiploid myeloma in which the myeloma cells have 44 or fewer chromosomes, pseudodiploid myeloma in which the cells have 45 to 46 chromosomes, and near tetraploid myeloma in which the cells have more than 75 chromosomes. In particular, the study results show that hypodiploid myeloma patients have more of the following chromosomal abnormalities: only one copy (monosomy) of chromosomes 13, 14, and 22, as well as deletions in the chromosome arms 1p, 12p, 16q, and 17p. Previous studies have indicated that hypodiploid myeloma patients have poorer overall survival compared to hyperdiploid myeloma. For more information, please refer to the study in the journal Haematologica (pdf).
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The results of a recent Swedish study indicate that the development of blood clots in the veins or arteries of multiple myeloma patients negatively affects survival outcomes.
The study investigators conclude that these findings warrant further studies to determine whether blood clot prevention measures can extend the survival of myeloma patients.
“There are effective ways to prevent venous and arterial thrombosis in myeloma patients; e.g, aspirin, heparin, warfarin (Coumadin), and Pradaxa (dabigatran),” said Dr. Edward Libby of the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, who was not involved with the …
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The International Myeloma Working Group, a group of leading myeloma specialists, recently drafted guidelines for the prevention of blood clots in the veins in multiple myeloma patients. The group recommended the use of heparin or warfarin for patients with a high risk for developing blood clots and aspirin for standard-risk patients.
Dr. Antonio Palumbo of the University of Torino in Italy presented the draft guidelines at the International Myeloma Workshop (IMW) on May 6 in Paris. In email correspondence with The Myeloma Beacon, Dr. Palumbo said that a comprehensive set of guidelines …
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Friday was the last day of the International Myeloma Workshop (IMW) in Paris. The agenda for the day was briefer than the previous days of the conference. Talks ran from the early morning through mid-afternoon.
The morning began with a session in which myeloma specialists presented consensus reports on vaccination and infection prevention, the management of anemia, blood clots in deep veins, and bone disease. The Myeloma Beacon will be covering these reports in more detail over the next few weeks.
Throughout the rest of the morning, researchers presented results from ongoing …
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Celgene Corporation's German subsidiary last week issued a “Dear Health Care Professional” letter warning that thalidomide increases the risk of blood clots in arteries, which can lead to heart attacks and strokes. According to Celgene’s letter, the prescribing information for thalidomide in Europe has been updated to include a warning about this risk.
In Europe, thalidomide (Thalomid) is approved for use in combination with melphalan (Alkeran) and prednisone in newly diagnosed multiple myeloma patients over the age of 65 and newly diagnosed patients who are not candidates for stem cell transplantation.
In the United …
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Patients with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance have an increased risk of developing blood clots, according to a recent study published in the European Journal of Haematology. Blood clots were also associated with poor survival in these patients.
“Our findings underline the risk of VTE [blood cots] in the monoclonal gammopathies in general and might in this way serve to increase the awareness of this complication in myeloma patients,” stated Dr. Henrik Gregersen, of the Aalborg Hospital in Denmark and lead author of this study.
While some of the increased risk may …