US scientists have developed a new web-based tool to help physicians predict the risk of venous thromboembolisms (VTE) in patients with brain tumors, specifically gliomas. VTEs can be life-threatening for patients with adult-type diffuse gliomas, the most common type of malignant tumor arising in the brain. The prediction tool is based on seven factors, including prior VTE history, hypertension, asthma, elevated white blood cell count, higher glioma grade, increasing patient age, and elevated body mass index. Physicians can use the tool to weigh the risk of a clot against other risks that come with preemptively administering anticoagulants, which can sometimes cause brain hemorrhages. The prediction tool will help physicians make a more informed decision about administering heparin to prevent blood clots.
US scientists have created a new tool to predict the risk of venous thromboembolisms (VTE) in patients with brain tumors. VTEs are blood clots that form in veins and can be life-threatening for patients with adult-type diffuse gliomas, the most common malignant tumor that arises in the brain. The web-based VTE prediction tool is based on seven factors, including prior VTE history, hypertension, asthma, elevated white blood cell count, higher glioma grade, increasing patient age, and elevated body mass index. To create the risk prediction tool, scientists from Northwestern Medicine analyzed arterial blood, tumor tissue, and other data from 483 patients with newly diagnosed adult-type diffuse glioma. The results were published in the journal Blood.
The risk prediction tool is a web-based calculator that enables physicians to enter basic information about the patient and tumor and obtain a percentage of risk at one, three, six, and twelve months. Armed with this information, physicians can weigh the risk of a clot against other risks that come with preemptively administering anticoagulants, which can sometimes cause brain hemorrhages. The director of Neuropathology at Northwestern University, Craig M. Horbinski, said that before the tool’s development, there was never rigorous evidence to guide the decision-making process. Now, physicians can use the tool to assess the risk of these blood clots more accurately.
The prediction tool has been developed to provide an evidence-based prediction of VTE specifically for glioma patients. It will enable physicians to provide patients with heparin upfront to prevent blood clots. However, heparin administration can be painful and may increase the risk of bleeding in the brain, so it is essential to know if a particular patient is genuinely at risk of a blood clot or not. The tool will help physicians make a more informed decision about administering heparin to prevent blood clots.
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