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. 2015 Mar-Apr;35(2):95–106. doi: 10.5144/0256-4947.2015.95

Table 3.

Summary of findings: Oral anticoagulation versus no oral anticoagulation be used in patients with cancer who have no other therapeutic or prophylactic indication for anticoagulation.

Patient or population: Patients with cancer who have no therapeutic or prophylactic indication for anticoagulation
Settings: Outpatient Intervention: Oral anticoagulationa
Outcomes Illustrative comparative risksb (95% CI) Relative effect (95% CI) No. of participants (studies) Quality of the evidence (GRADE)
Assumed risk
Control
Corresponding risk
Oral anticoagulation

Death
Follow-up: median 1 y
Moderate RR 0.94 (0.87–1.03) 1604 (5 studies) Moderate
649 per 1000 610 per 1000 (565–668)
Symptomatic VTE
Follow-up: 1 y
Moderate RR 0.15 (0.02–1.2) 315 (1 study) Moderate
29 per 1000 4 per 1000 (1–35)
Major bleeding
Follow-up: median 1 y
Moderate RR 4.24 (1.85–9.68) 1282 (4 studies) Moderate
7 per 1000 30 per 1000 (13–68)
Minor bleeding
Follow-up: 1 y
Moderate RR 3.34 (1.66–6.74) 851 (3 studies) Moderate
27 per 1000 90 per 1000 (45–182)

CI, Confidence interval; INR, international normalized ratio; RR, risk ratio; VTE, venous thromboembolism; GRADE, Grading of Recommendations, Assessment, Development and Evaluation.

a

All studies used warfarin at a dose to increase prothrombin time 1.5 to 2 times (4 studies) or to keep INR between 1.3 and 1.9.

b

The corresponding risk (and its 95% CI) is based on the assumed risk in the comparison group and the relative effect of the intervention (and its 95% CI).