Abstract 8: Risk Factors and Management of Venous Thromboembolism amongst Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Treatment at a Referral Hospital in Kenya

Purpose Cancer has been associated as a risk factor for hyper-coagulation. The purpose of this study was to establish the predictors of risk factors and management of venous thromboembolism amongst patients undergoing breast cancer treatment at Kenyatta National Hospital -Kenya.

Methods The study adopted a cross-sectional study design. 377 patient's files were sampled by using simple random sampling. Univariate and bivariate analysis was done and the risk of developing a VTE was assessed using the Khorana risk assessment tool. Inferential statistics were used to determine the strength of association between the predictor and outcome variables.

Results 10 (2.65%) of the patients were found to have VTE. Age was found to be a significant risk factor for the development of venous thromboembolism (p= <0.001). (AOR=0.47; CI=0.24-0.94; p=0.032). Surgery done in the last one year was also found to be a predictor of the risk of having a venous thromboembolic event. (AOR= 0.68; CI=0.48-0.98; p=0.04). The duration it took between initiation of chemotherapy from first diagnosis and number of chemotherapy cycles were found to be significant predictors of risk of developing a venous thromboembolic event at (p=0.012) and (p=<0.001) respectively. (AOR= 1.64; CI=1.1-2.44; p= 0.015). Additionally, there was a statistically significant association between the use of radiotherapy and the risk of developing a venous thromboembolism (p=<0.001). (AOR=0.09; CI=0.03-0.24; p=0.001). Warfarin and LMWH were commonly used for the management of VTE.

Conclusion Predictors for the risk of the development of venous thromboembolism were identified in the study All these risk factors need early detection for prompt management. Therefore, use of VTE risk models should be further explored and used to educate high risk patients about the warning signs and symptoms of VTE.

Citation Format: Gavin Orangi, Ndemo, Tom Menge. Risk Factors and Management of Venous Thromboembolism amongst Patients Undergoing Breast Cancer Treatment at a Referral Hospital in Kenya [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 9th Annual Symposium on Global Cancer Research; Global Cancer Research and Control: Looking Back and Charting a Path Forward; 2021 Mar 10-11. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2021;30(7 Suppl):Abstract nr 8.