Study Outlines Risk Factors for Thrombosis in Adult Patients with ALL

History of cancer, port catheter use, and invasive mechanical ventilation (IMV) during induction are risk factors for thrombosis in adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), according to a study presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting in Houston, Texas.

The retrospective, single-cohort, nested case-control study included 364 adult patients with ALL treated in a tertiary care hospital in Mexico. Venous thromboembolism (VTE) was present in 7.97% of patients, with the most frequent subtype being deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary embolism (54.8%).

Compared with a control group, patients with VTE had higher proportions of BMI >25 (54.6% vs 72.4%, respectively; P=.079), history of previous malignancy (4.5% vs 13.8%, respectively; P=.054), use of a port catheter (0.3% vs 10.3%, respectively; P=.002), and use of L-asparaginase (28.4% vs 37.9%; P=.29).

Most (69%) VTE events occurred within the first three months of diagnosis, and the median time from diagnosis to thrombosis was 1.8 months (95% CI, 0–29.9).

History of malignancy (hazard ratio [HR] 3.34; 95% CI, 1.15–9.73; P=.027), use of port catheter (HR 18.52; 95% CI, 5.22–65.66; P<.001), and IMV during induction (HR 2.87; 95% CI, 1.37–5.99; P=.005) were associated with a higher cumulative incidence of thrombosis.

“Additional prospective studies are needed to determine the role of thromboprophylaxis in ALL patients with risk factors for thrombosis,” the researchers concluded.

Reference

Arnaud-Borboa I, Pérez-Rojas AK, González-Dominguez D, et al. Thrombosis in acute lymphoblastic leukemia: identifying risk factors in adults. Abstract #ALL-209. Presented at the Society of Hematologic Oncology 2024 Annual Meeting; September 4-7, 2024; Houston, Texas.