What is it about?
The challenges of the use of Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in cancer patients with AF and the current expert opinions on this subject have been summarized in this review article.
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Why is it important?
To the best of our knowledge, non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs), or direct oral anticoagulants, have not been tested in randomized trials conducted in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF), affected by malignant disease. However, their use in patients with cancer is increasing, while real-life evidence for their effectiveness and safety in this vulnerable subset of patients is growing.
Perspectives
NOACs should be considered as the first choice, especially in patients with a favorable prognosis without potent drug-to-drug interactions. The effects of LMWH in stroke prevention are not certain, and therefore, heparins should not be used in patients with AF on the long-term basis. Given a growing number of cancer patients, as well as AF patients in the aging society, NOACs represent an attractive therapeutic option in the prevention of arterial thromboembolism. However, more clinical trials focused on patients with cancer are required to optimize anticoagulant therapy.
Leszek Drabik
Uniwersytet Jagiellonski w Krakowie
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Non-vitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulants (NOACs) in cancer patients with atrial fibrillation, The Anatolian Journal of Cardiology, January 2019, Kare Publishing,
DOI: 10.14744/anatoljcardiol.2019.30766.
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