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Effect of warfarin anticoagulation on survival in carcinoma of the lung, colon, head and neck, and prostate: Final Report of VA cooperative study # 75
Author(s) -
Zacharski Leo R.,
Henderson William G.,
Rickles Frederick R.,
Forman Walter B.,
Cornell C. J.,
Forcier A. Jackson,
Edwards R. L.,
Headley Elwood,
Kim SangHee,
O'Donnell Joseph F.,
O'Dell Robert,
Tornyos Karl,
Kwaan Hau C.
Publication year - 1984
Publication title -
cancer
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 3.052
H-Index - 304
eISSN - 1097-0142
pISSN - 0008-543X
DOI - 10.1002/1097-0142(19840515)53:10<2046::aid-cncr2820531007>3.0.co;2-f
Subject(s) - medicine , warfarin , malignancy , oncology , randomization , lung , prostate , colorectal cancer , carcinoma , gastroenterology , randomized controlled trial , cancer , atrial fibrillation
VA Cooperative Study #75 was established to test in a controlled, randomized trial the hypothesis that warfarin anticoagulation would favorably affect the course of certain types of malignancy. No differences in survival were observed between warfarin‐treated and control groups for advanced non‐small cell lung, colorectal, head and neck and prostate cancers. However, warfarin therapy was associated with a significant prolongation in the time to first evidence of disease progression ( P = 0.016) and a significant improvement in survival ( P = 0.018) for patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung, including the subgroup of patients with disseminated disease at the time of randomization ( P = 0.013). A trend toward improved survival with warfarin treatment was observed for the few patients admitted to this study with non‐small cell lung cancer who had minimal disease at randomization. These results suggest that warfarin, as a single anticoagulant agent, may favorably modify the course of some, but not all, types of human malignancy, among which is small cell carcinoma of the lung. Further trials of warfarin may be indicated in patients with limited disease who have cell types that failed to respond when advanced disease was present.