Validation of the Safety and Efficacy of Apixaban as Postoperative Thromboembolism Prophylaxis for Patients with Gynecologic Malignancies.

BACKGROUND

Venous thromboembolism is a preventable complication of gynecologic cancer surgery that leads to postoperative morbidity and mortality. This study compared apixaban with enoxaparin to identify whether apixaban had the same safety and efficacy for patients undergoing gynecologic cancer surgery.

METHODS

The study identified patients with a gynecologic malignancy who underwent surgery and were prescribed apixaban at discharge between June 2020 and April 2023. International Classification of Diseases 10 codes were used to identify patients who had a thromboembolism within 90 days or a bleeding event within 60 days after surgery. The rates of events for patients prescribed apixaban were compared with those for a historical cohort of patients who received enoxaparin. Fisher's exact tests were used to compare categorical variables, and t tests were used to compare continuous variables. A logistic regression was performed to compare the odds of thromboembolism between the two groups.

RESULTS

Baseline patient characteristics differed in terms of body mass index (BMI), race, route of surgery, and type of cancer. Of the 490 patients in the apixaban cohort, 12 (2.4%) had a thromboembolism compared with 3 (2.1%) of the 138 patients in the enoxaparin group (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 1.02; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.30-4.70; p > 0.999). The odds ratio was adjusted for BMI, age, and route of surgery. A bleeding event occurred for 1 (0.2%) of the 490 patients in the apixaban group and for 1 (0.7%) of the 138 patients in the enoxaparin group.

CONCLUSIONS

This validation study showed that apixaban is a safe and effective method of postoperative venous thromboembolism prophylaxis. The data provide support to previous data and guideline updates recommending the use of apixaban for postoperative prophylaxis.