“Preventing a blood clot during the first six months of cancer treatment is not only better for patients, it’s cheaper for the healthcare system,” - Dr. Kednapa ThavornPeople with cancer are four to seven times more likely to have a blood clot than the general population. In 2018, research led by The Ottawa Hospital showed for the first time that a low dose of the blood thinner apixaban could safely prevent blood clots in moderate-to-high risk cancer patients. While the study demonstrated benefits to these patients, questions remained about the cost-effectiveness. 

Now, an economic analysis led by Drs. Kednapa Thavorn, Marc Carrier and Miriam Kimpton has found that preventing these clots is not only good for patients, but could also help the healthcare system save money. Using economic modelling, the new study found that apixaban resulted in lower health system costs and a better patient outcome over a cancer patient’s lifetime compared with no preventive treatment. 

The results, published in CMAJ, support coverage of low-dose apixaban for this patient population by Canada’s health care system.

“Preventing a blood clot during the first six months of cancer treatment is not only better for patients, it’s cheaper for the healthcare system,” said Dr. Kednapa Thavorn, senior scientist at The Ottawa Hospital, assistant professor at the University of Ottawa

Authors: Miriam Kimpton, Srishti Kumar, Philip S. Wells, Doug Coyle, Marc Carrier and Kednapa Thavorn

Funding: Thrombosis Canada, CanVECTOR network, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, The BMS-Pfizer Alliance

Core Resources: Ottawa Methods Centre

The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.  

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