Posted by Medivizor on Jul 1, 2017 in Leukemia |

In a nutshell

This study examined the frequency of blood clots in various subgroups of leukemia patients.

Some background

There are four main types of leukemia. These are acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), chronic lymphoblastic leukemia (CLL), acute myeloid leukemia (AML), and chronic myeloid leukemia (CML). Recent studies have shown that the occurrence of blood clots in patients with leukemia may be as high as (or higher than) patients with other types of cancer. A blood clot can lead to delays in treatment and reduced quality of life. There is a need to determine how often blood clots occur in leukemia patients. This information may lead to better treatments.

Methods & findings

This study examined the results of 144 prior studies. The data from 72 of these studies, including 9,061 patients, was combined and analyzed. Overall, blood clots occurred in 5% of leukemia patients. The occurrence of blood clots differed depending on the type of leukemia. Blood clots were present in 5% of ALL patients, 3% of CLL patients, 6% of AML patients, and the highest incidence was in CML patients at 13%. There was a lower chance of blood clots in ALL patients who had received treatment to prevent blood clots (only 1% of patients). However, there was a higher incidence in patients who had received a stem cell transplant (8% incidence).

The bottom line

This study found that the overall incidence of blood clots in the leukemia population was high, particularly in stem cell transplant patients.

The fine print

There are several weaknesses in the study including the fact that high-risk patients may have been left out – so the incidence of blood clotting in leukemia patients might be higher than reported here.

What’s next?

If you are concerned about possible blood clots, please discuss them with your doctor.