Prostrate Cancer Patients More Likely to Suffer Blood Clots
A new research has revealed that prostrate cancer patients are at higher risk of developing blood clots especially if they are undergoing hormone therapy.
Mieke van Hemelrijck, lead author of a study published on the 13th of April’s online edition of The Lancet Oncology.
“Endocrine treatment is currently the cornerstone of therapy for men with locally advanced or metastatic disease. It is thus not possible to change the treatment, but doctors can be more aware of the risk of thromboembolic diseases and check for certain symptoms when following up their patients," said van Hemelrijck.
Dr. Steven Clinton, director of Prostrate and Genitourinary Oncology at The Ohio State University says, “We have known for decades that cancer patients have a greater risk of blood clots, [but] it hasn't been as well-defined in the prostate cancer population.”
The background information of the study reveals that cancer patients in general run a four times higher risk of blood clots than normal people. Advancing age and other treatments for cancer, including prostatectomy or removal of the prostate gland, might further elevate that clotting risk.
The authors of the research analyzed data from Sweden’s National Prostrate Cancer Register. In the research men were divided into three groups : those receiving endocrine or hormone therapy to reduce levels of male hormones (including testosterone), those receiving surgery and/or radiation and those who were simply being watched.
Men who were undergoing hormone therapy had a 2.48 increased risk of developing a blood clot and almost double the chance of a pulmonary embolism (when the clot travels to the lung), compared to men without prostate cancer.
Those in the prostatectomy group had a 73 percent increased risk of blood clots and double the risk of a pulmonary embolism. Those in the "watch-and-wait group had a 27 percent increased risk of blood clots and a 57 percent increased risk of that clot moving to the lung though none of the groups had an increased risk of arterial embolism.
Given that men in the no-treatment-yet group also had more blood clots, much of the risk was likely from the cancer itself.
