Impact of Low Molecular Weight Heparin on Overall Survival in Patients with Advanced Lung Cancer: A Retrospective Study

Abstract

Low Molecular Weight Heparin (LMWH) is approved for treatment of and secondary prophylaxis against thromboembolic events in patients with cancer. However, its role in improving Overall Survival (OS) remains unclear. A retrospective study to evaluate effect of LMWH on OS in advanced lung cancer was conducted by retrospectively identifying patients with advanced lung cancer (stage IIIA, IIIB and IV) including non-small cell, small cell and rare histopathologic subtypes from 2004 to 2014. Patients with early stage lung cancer and those with incomplete information were excluded. Data on patient demographics (age, gender, ethnicity), histopathology, staging, medications (including chemotherapy and anticoagulants) and patient outcome were collected. Death was considered as the final endpoint. Patients with and without LMWH use were identified. This study did not find an improvement in OS with use of LMWH in advanced stage lung cancer patients. Even though the results were not statistically significant, there was a trend towards higher mortality in patients treated with LMWH for thrombosis compared to patients without thrombosis. Future prospective studies using a larger patient population should evaluate the impact of prophylactic versus therapeutic LMWH on OS in advanced lung cancer.