Grant: Project Grant

Cancer-associated thrombosis refers to blood clots in veins among patients with cancer. Approximately one in ten patients with cancer experience these clots. They require treatment with blood thinners because they can grow and have serious consequences impacting cancer treatment and potentially leading to death. However, even with blood thinners, around 9% of patients still develop recurrent blood clots (i.e., second clot), and up to 12% experience bleeding complications. Unfortunately, there is currently no reliable way to predict which patient with cancer will develop recurrent clots or bleeding complications while on blood thinner medication. This risk can be assessed using the main clinical information about a patient and so-called "biomarker". Biomarkers are measurable traits in your blood that can be signs of normal body functions of indicators of conditions and diseases. By analyzing these biomarkers alongside a patient's clinical information, risk of recurrent blood clots or bleeding complications at the start of blood thinner treatment can be calculated with so called "risk prediction score". The goal of this project is to develop a risk prediction score to identify patients which are more likely to get a recurrent cancer-related blood clot and bleeding while on blood thinners following their initial cancer-related clot. As part of the study, we will follow approximately 1000 patients collect extra blood samples to explore promising biomarkers.. The patients will be followed over a 6-month period to monitor for any new blood clot or bleeding events.. The risk prediction score will lead to better understanding the natural course of blood clots in patients with cancer and inform better treatment strategies to avoid clot recurrence and bleeding in these patients