Scientists from Integrated Evidence Generation in Germany found that men with prostate cancer have a 50% higher risk of developing serious and even fatal blood clots during the five years after their cancer.
The research is published in the journal BMJ Open and was conducted by Yanina Balabanova et al.
This is important because venous thromboembolism (VTE)—the type of blood clot in this study—is a leading cause of death among people with cancer, with the risk higher in those with more advanced disease.
Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in middle-aged and older men, meaning that many men with this type of cancer could potentially experience a VTE.
Some studies have suggested that the risk of VTE is two to three times higher in men with prostate cancer than among men of similar age without cancer.
In the study, the team used nationwide data from men across Sweden to compare the occurrence of VTE among 92,105 men with prostate cancer and 466,241 men of the same age without prostate cancer.
They found that 3.2% of men in the prostate cancer group experienced a VTE within about five years of their cancer diagnosis, compared with 2.1% of men in the comparison group.
After controlling for other factors, the team found that the men with prostate cancer had a 50% higher risk of blood clots over the five years after a cancer diagnosis, with the riskiest period being the first six months following a cancer diagnosis.
The team says it is uncertain how much of the increased risk was due to the prostate cancer itself or due to other differences between the two groups of men that could have affected VTE risk, and which could not be controlled for.
Although the level of risk is lower than that with other forms of cancer, researchers are encouraging clinicians to be alert to this risk to enable timely diagnosis and treatment, should a blood clot occur.
If you care about blood health, please read studies about bread that can improve blood circulation, and this stuff adds fuel to COVID-19 inflammation, blood clots.
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