Long-term use of vitamin K antagonists and incidence of cancer: a population-based study.

Abstract

Whether long-term use of vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) might affect the incidence of cancer is a longstanding hypothesis. We conducted a population-based study including all cancer- and thromboembolism-free patients of our health area; study groups were defined according to chronic anticoagulant use to VKA-exposed and control groups. Cancer incidence and cancer-related and overall mortality was assessed in both groups. 76 008 patients (3231 VKA-exposed and 72 777 control subjects) were followed-up for 8.2 (± 3.2) years. After adjusting for age, sex, and time-to-event, the hazard ratio of newly diagnosed cancer in the exposed group was 0.88 (95% confidence interval [95% CI] 0.80-0.98; P < .015). VKA-exposed patients were less likely to develop prostate cancer, 0.69 (95% CI 0.50-0.97; P = .008). The adjusted hazard ratio for cancer-related and overall mortality was 1.07 (95% CI 0.92-1.24) and 1.12 (95% CI 1.05-1.19), respectively. These results support the hypothesis that anticoagulation might have a protective effect on cancer development, especially prostate cancer.

• Authors: Vittorio Pengo, Franco Noventa, Gentian Denas, Martino F Pengo, Umberto Gallo, Anna Maria Grion, Sabino Iliceto, Paolo Prandoni
• Journal: Blood (Blood) Vol. 117 Issue 5 Pg. 1707-9 (Feb 03 2011) ISSN: 1528-0020 [Electronic] United States
• PMID: 21127176 (Publication Type: Journal Article)

Chemical References

• Anticoagulants
• Vitamin K

Topics

• Aged
• Anticoagulants (adverse effects)
• Cohort Studies
• Female
• Humans
• Incidence
• Italy (epidemiology)
• Male
• Neoplasms (epidemiology, etiology, mortality)
• Survival Rate
• Time Factors
• Vitamin K (antagonists & inhibitors)