Prophylactic anticoagulant therapy decreases the incidence of deep vein thrombosis in patients with solid tumors: A systematic review and meta-analysis

It is not well understood the efficacy and safety of primary deep vein thrombosis (DVT) prophylaxis of anticoagulants in patients with solid tumors. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials (RCT) determines the relative ratio of primary DVT, survival rate and bleeding events among patients with solid tumors treated with anticoagulants or placebo. Comprehensive literature searches were conducted through the Pubmed, Ovid MEDLINE and EMBASE databases published from January 1st, 1993 to December 31st, 2015. Statistical analysis was performed by RevMan 5.0 software. For DVT events, therisk ratio in 16 trials between the prophylactic and control patients was statistically significant at 0.45 [0.36-0.58]; for major bleeding events, the risk ratio in 18 trials between the prophylactic and control patients was not statistically significant at 1.33 [0.99-1.79], while that in 15 trials with clinically relevant non-major bleeding was statistically significant at 1.83 [1.46-2.30]; the risk ratio for the mortality rate of patients with solid tumors in 16 trials was not statistically significant at 0.97 [0.93-1.02]. Inconclusion, the risk ratio in this meta-analysis showed a significantly reduced incidence of DVT with anticoagulant use. Treatment to patients who had solid tumors with prophylactic anticoagulants enhanced the incidence rate of non-major bleeding but has no significant impact on the incidence rate of major bleeding. No significant differences were found in the mortality outcomes between anticoagulant and non-anticoagulant groups.