It is well known that cancer patients are at a higher risk of developing blood clots. A new randomized clinical trial demonstrated that apixaban, a direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC), was as effective as dalteparin, a low molecular weight heparin given by injection, for the treatment of cancer-associated VTE, without increasing the risk of major bleeding. The study, named the Caravaggio Trial, enrolled 1,170 patients from 119 centers across Europe, the USA, and Israel.

The results were presented by Professor Giancarlo Agnelli at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual Scientific Session Together with World Congress of Cardiology (ACC.20/WCC). The congress was held virtually on March 28-30, 2020. The study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on March 29, 2020. 

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) recently updated (August 2019) its Clinical Practice Guideline for Venous Thromboembolism Prophylaxis and Treatment in Patients with Cancer. Apixaban was included in the updated guideline published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology.