title: Perioperative heparin-therapy inhibits late death from metastatic cancer.
abstract: Low-dose heparin prophylaxis reduces postoperative death from fatal pulmonary embolism and its long-term anti-cancer effect has now been assessed in a retrospective study of 1250 patients, 336 of whom (30%) underwent operation for cancer. There was a striking reduction in three year mortality amongst those patients who received low dose heparin compared to unteated controls (7.6% vs. 12.5%, P=0.005). Death from disseminated malignancy was halved (9.2% vs. 21.4%). The mechanism remains unclear, but may reflect either the antithrombotic actions of heparin or a direct antitumour cell effect.
authors.affiliation: PRINCE WALES HOSP,BRIDGEND,M GLAM,WALES. THROMBOSIS RES INST,LONDON SW3 6LR,ENGLAND.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kakkar
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hedges
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Williamson
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Kakkar