Rathbun, Suman

Abstract Introduction Cancer associated thrombosis is the second most common cause of mortality among patients with malignancy. While preventive low molecular weight heparin is effective in preventing venous thromboembolism (VTE), lack of agreement on risk stratification methods have precluded its widespread use. The most studied VTE prediction tool is the Khorana score, but it does not capitalize on the use of novel biomarkers. We aimed to evaluate the value of biomarkers in prediction of VTE among patients with active cancer receiving outpatient chemotherapy. Methods We prospectively collected pre-chemotherapy blood samples on adult patients with solid organ tumors. We excluded patients on anticoagulation and those unable or unwilling to consent. Along with demographics and cancer specific variables, potential novel predictors of VTE were selected a priori and included: coated platelets (CP), D dimer (DD), protein C (PC), fibrin monomers (FM), mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet microparticles (PMP). Type of cancer was grouped according to the Khorana score (Very high risk: Stomach, Pancreas; High risk: Lung, Gynecologic, Bladder, Testicular; Low/Moderate risk: all other sites). VTE events were adjudicated at 6 months of follow up. For all statistical analyses we used SAS 9.2 (SAS Institute Inc., Cary, NC, USA). A p value of <0.05 was considered as statistically significant. We only performed univariate analysis at this point of our study due to the stage of recruitment and period of follow-up. Results We have recruited a total of 101 patients (mean + standard deviation age 59.7+11 years, 68% female), 20% of the 75 patients with complete follow up have developed a VTE. We found no significant association between the incidence of VTE and age, gender, or baseline Khorana score. The variables associated with incident VTE were: BMI (odds ratio [OR] 8.5 for BMI<25 kg/m2, p<0.001), type of cancer (OR 14.5 for very high risk compared to high risk, p<0.01) and protein C (OR 3.3 for protein C<110ug/mL the lowest tertile, p=0.05). The rest of the tested potential biomarkers did not have a strong association with incident VTE in the current analysis (Table). Twenty percent of the patients were on aspirin and none of them developed VTE compared to 23% of those not taking aspirin who developed VTE, (p=0.2). Conclusion Pre Chemotherapy level of Protein C is a potential biomarker for the incidence of VTE. We confirm that cancer type and BMI are predictors of cancer associated VTE. In addition, lower BMI is not usually recognized as a potential predictor of VTE in other prediction scores. We were underpowered to detect differences in the VTE incidence according to Khorana score. Finally, aspirin may have a role in outpatient cancer associated VTE prevention and deserves further investigation. Disclosures: Tafur: Stago Diagnostica: Research Funding. Rathbun:Stago Diagnostica: Research Funding.

Background In every field of medicine, comprehensive education should be delivered at the graduate level. Currently, no single specialty routinely provides a standardized comprehensive curriculum in venous and lymphatic disease. Method The American Board of Venous & Lymphatic Medicine formed a task force, made up of experts from the specialties of dermatology, family practice, interventional radiology, interventional cardiology, phlebology, vascular medicine, and vascular surgery, to develop a consensus document describing the program requirements for fellowship medical education in venous and lymphatic medicine. Result The Program Requirements for Fellowship Education in Venous and Lymphatic Medicine identify the knowledge and skills that physicians must master through the course of fellowship training in venous and lymphatic medicine. They also specify the requirements for venous and lymphatic training programs. The document is based on the Core Content for Training in Venous and Lymphatic Medicine and follows the ACGME format that all subspecialties in the United States use to specify the requirements for training program accreditation. The American Board of Venous & Lymphatic Medicine Board of Directors approved this document in May 2016. Conclusion The pathway to a vein practice is diverse, and there is no standardized format available for physician education and training. The Program Requirements for Fellowship Education in Venous and Lymphatic Medicine establishes educational standards for teaching programs in venous and lymphatic medicine and will facilitate graduation of physicians who have had comprehensive training in the field.