Prophylactic tranexamic acid in patients with hematologic malignancy: a placebo controlled, randomized clinical trial

University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, Washington, United States. University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, United States. University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States. NHLBI, Bethesda, Maryland, United States. University of Washington, United States. UPMC Hillman Cancer Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, United States.

Blood. 2022

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PICO Summary

Population

Patients who were thrombocytopenic due to primary bone marrow disorders or chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and/or radiation therapy (n= 337).

Intervention

Tranexamic acid (TXA) orally or intravenously (n= 168).

Comparison

Placebo (n= 169).

Outcome

The primary outcome of WHO grade 2 or higher bleeding during the first 30 days after activation was observed for 73 out of 145 (50.3%) and 78 out of 144 (54.2%) patients in the TXA and placebo groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference in mean number of platelet transfusions (0.1), mean days alive without grade 2 or higher bleeding (0.8), thrombotic events (6/163 (3.7%) TXA, 9/163 (5.5%) placebo), or deaths due to serious bleeding.
Abstract
Evidence of effectiveness of prophylactic use of tranexamic acid (TXA) in thrombocytopenia is lacking. To determine whether TXA safely reduces bleeding incidence in patients undergoing treatment for hematologic malignancies, a randomized double blind clinical trial was conducted June 2016 through June 2020. Of 3120 screened adults 356 patients were eligible and enrolled, and 337 patients (mean age, 53.9; 141 (41.8%) women), randomized to 1,300mg TXA orally or 1,000mg TXA intravenously (n=168) versus placebo (n=169) thrice daily for maximum 30 days. 330 patients were activated when their platelet counts fell below 30,000/µl; 279 (83%) had complete outcome ascertainment. WHO grade 2 or higher bleeding was observed in the 30 days following activation in 50.3% (73/145) and 54.2% (78/144) of patients in the TXA and placebo groups, adjusted odds ratio: 0.83 (95%CI:0.50,1.34; p=0.44). There was no statistically significant difference in mean number of platelet transfusions (0.1;95%CI:-1.9,2.0), mean days alive without grade 2 or higher bleeding (0.8;95%CI:-0.4,2.0), thrombotic events (6/163 (3.7%) TXA, 9/163 (5.5%) placebo), or deaths due to serious bleeding. Most common adverse events were: diarrhea [(116/164 (70.7%) TXA and 114/163 (69.9%) placebo)]; febrile neutropenia [111/164 (67.7%) TXA, 105/163 (64.4%) placebo]; fatigue [106/164 (64.6%) TXA, 109/163 (66.9%) placebo]; and nausea [104/164 (63.4%) TXA, 97/163 (59.5%) placebo]. Among patients with hematologic malignancy undergoing chemotherapy or hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, prophylactic treatment with tranexamic acid compared with placebo did not significantly reduce the risk of WHO grade 2 or higher bleeding. Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT02578901.
Study details
Language : eng
Credits : Bibliographic data from MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine