Table 1.

Risk of thrombocytopenia in selected systemic treatments for solid cancers

Cancer typeVTE incidence rate/100 PYaSelected systemic therapyThrombocytopenia (any grade)bSevere thrombocytopenia (grades 3-4)bReference
Breast 1.5/100 PY Doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide + docetaxel/paclitaxel (adjuvant) <0.5% Sparano et al, NEJM 2008 
  Epirubicin + cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel (neoadjuvant) 1.6% von Minckwitz G et al, NEJM 2012 
  Paclitaxel (palliative) 0.3% Miller et al., NEJM 2007 
  Platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in TNBC 9.6% Li et al, J Int Med Res 2020 
  CDK4/6 inhibitors 18.4% 2.1% Kassem et al, Breast Cancer 2018 
  Capecitabine 8.5%-13.9% 2.4%-2.6% Nishijima et al, Breast Cancer Res Treat 2016 
  Trastuzumab deruxtecan (advanced Her2-low) 23.7% 9.3% Modi et al, NEJM 2022 
  Trastuzumab deruxtecan vs trastuzumab emtansine (Her2-pos) 24.9% vs 51.7% 7.0% vs 24.9% Cortés et al, NEJM 2022 
Prostate 4.2/100 PY Docetaxel (metastatic; + androgen-deprivation therapy) 0.3% Sweeney et al, NEJM 2015 
  Cabazitaxel (mCRPC, pretreated) 40.8% 3.2% De Wit et al, NEJM 2019 
  PARP-inhibitors (mCRPC) 14.3% 8.0% Maiorano et al, Targ Onc 2024 
NSCLC 9.5/100 PY Pemetrexed + platin + pembrolizumab (NSCLC, nonsquamous, palliative) 18.0% 7.9% Gandhi et al, NEJM 2018 
  Carboplatin + paclitaxel/ nab-paclitaxel + pembrolizumab (NSCLC, squamous, palliative) 30.6% 6.8% Paz-Ares et al, NEJM 2018 
  Cisplatin-based chemotherapy + pembrolizumab (perioperative) 18.7% 5.1% Wakalee et al, NEJM 2023 
SCLC 5.9/100 PY Carboplatin + etoposide + atezolizumab (SCLC, palliative, extensive disease) 16.2% 10.1% Horn et al., NEJM 2018 
Colorectal Colon 7.4/100 PY
Rectum 5.8/100 PY 
FOLFOX (6 mo, adjuvant, stage III) 1.8% Grothey et al, NEJM 2018 
  XELOX (metastatic, pooled from 7 trials) 5.8% Guo et al, Cancer Invest 2016 
  FOLFOX (metastatic, pooled from 7 trials) 3.2% Guo et al, Cancer Invest 2016 
Pancreatic 17.3/100 PY FOLFIRINOX (adjuvant) 47.0% 1.3% Conroy et al, NEJM 2018 
  Gemcitabine (adjuvant) 50.4% 5.7% Conroy et al, NEJM 2018 
  FOLFIRINOX (palliative) 9.1% Conroy et al, NEJM 2011 
  Gemcitabine + nab- paclitaxel (palliative) 12.8% Von Hoff et al, NEJM 2013 
Gastroesophageal Gastric 8.9/100 PY
Esophageal 7.8/100 PY 
Triplet chemotherapy (ECF, ECX, EOF, EOX; palliative) 13.4%-21.1% 4.3%-5.2% Cunningham et al, NEJM 2008 
Renal cell 8.9/100 PY Pembrolizumab + axitinib 2.6% 0% Rini et al, NEJM 2019 
  Sunitinib 18%-23.3% 5%-5.9% Rini et al, NEJM 2019 
  Nivolumab + ipililumab <1% 0% Motzer et al, NEJM 2018 
Biliary tract 12.9/100 PY Cisplatin + gemcitabine + durvalumab (palliative) 12.7% 4.7% Oh et al, NEJM Evidence 2022 
Ovarian 7.7/100 PY Paclitaxel + Carboplatin /+ bevacizumab (palliative, stage III, IV) 9%-12% 2%-3% Perren et al, NEJM 2011 
Brain 8.2/100 PY Temozolomide (newly diagnosed, + radiotherapy) 12% Stupp et al, NEJM 2005 
Sarcoma NR Doxorubicin (metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma) <1% Judson et al, Lancet Onc 2014 
  Doxorubicin + ifosfamide (metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma) 33% Judson et al, Lancet Onc 2014 
Bladder 9.8/100 PY Enfortumab vedotin + pembrolizumab vs platin-based chemotherapy 3.4% vs 34.2% 0.5% vs 19.4% Powles et al, NEJM 2024 
Cancer typeVTE incidence rate/100 PYaSelected systemic therapyThrombocytopenia (any grade)bSevere thrombocytopenia (grades 3-4)bReference
Breast 1.5/100 PY Doxorubicin + cyclophosphamide + docetaxel/paclitaxel (adjuvant) <0.5% Sparano et al, NEJM 2008 
  Epirubicin + cyclophosphamide followed by docetaxel (neoadjuvant) 1.6% von Minckwitz G et al, NEJM 2012 
  Paclitaxel (palliative) 0.3% Miller et al., NEJM 2007 
  Platinum-based neoadjuvant chemotherapy in TNBC 9.6% Li et al, J Int Med Res 2020 
  CDK4/6 inhibitors 18.4% 2.1% Kassem et al, Breast Cancer 2018 
  Capecitabine 8.5%-13.9% 2.4%-2.6% Nishijima et al, Breast Cancer Res Treat 2016 
  Trastuzumab deruxtecan (advanced Her2-low) 23.7% 9.3% Modi et al, NEJM 2022 
  Trastuzumab deruxtecan vs trastuzumab emtansine (Her2-pos) 24.9% vs 51.7% 7.0% vs 24.9% Cortés et al, NEJM 2022 
Prostate 4.2/100 PY Docetaxel (metastatic; + androgen-deprivation therapy) 0.3% Sweeney et al, NEJM 2015 
  Cabazitaxel (mCRPC, pretreated) 40.8% 3.2% De Wit et al, NEJM 2019 
  PARP-inhibitors (mCRPC) 14.3% 8.0% Maiorano et al, Targ Onc 2024 
NSCLC 9.5/100 PY Pemetrexed + platin + pembrolizumab (NSCLC, nonsquamous, palliative) 18.0% 7.9% Gandhi et al, NEJM 2018 
  Carboplatin + paclitaxel/ nab-paclitaxel + pembrolizumab (NSCLC, squamous, palliative) 30.6% 6.8% Paz-Ares et al, NEJM 2018 
  Cisplatin-based chemotherapy + pembrolizumab (perioperative) 18.7% 5.1% Wakalee et al, NEJM 2023 
SCLC 5.9/100 PY Carboplatin + etoposide + atezolizumab (SCLC, palliative, extensive disease) 16.2% 10.1% Horn et al., NEJM 2018 
Colorectal Colon 7.4/100 PY
Rectum 5.8/100 PY 
FOLFOX (6 mo, adjuvant, stage III) 1.8% Grothey et al, NEJM 2018 
  XELOX (metastatic, pooled from 7 trials) 5.8% Guo et al, Cancer Invest 2016 
  FOLFOX (metastatic, pooled from 7 trials) 3.2% Guo et al, Cancer Invest 2016 
Pancreatic 17.3/100 PY FOLFIRINOX (adjuvant) 47.0% 1.3% Conroy et al, NEJM 2018 
  Gemcitabine (adjuvant) 50.4% 5.7% Conroy et al, NEJM 2018 
  FOLFIRINOX (palliative) 9.1% Conroy et al, NEJM 2011 
  Gemcitabine + nab- paclitaxel (palliative) 12.8% Von Hoff et al, NEJM 2013 
Gastroesophageal Gastric 8.9/100 PY
Esophageal 7.8/100 PY 
Triplet chemotherapy (ECF, ECX, EOF, EOX; palliative) 13.4%-21.1% 4.3%-5.2% Cunningham et al, NEJM 2008 
Renal cell 8.9/100 PY Pembrolizumab + axitinib 2.6% 0% Rini et al, NEJM 2019 
  Sunitinib 18%-23.3% 5%-5.9% Rini et al, NEJM 2019 
  Nivolumab + ipililumab <1% 0% Motzer et al, NEJM 2018 
Biliary tract 12.9/100 PY Cisplatin + gemcitabine + durvalumab (palliative) 12.7% 4.7% Oh et al, NEJM Evidence 2022 
Ovarian 7.7/100 PY Paclitaxel + Carboplatin /+ bevacizumab (palliative, stage III, IV) 9%-12% 2%-3% Perren et al, NEJM 2011 
Brain 8.2/100 PY Temozolomide (newly diagnosed, + radiotherapy) 12% Stupp et al, NEJM 2005 
Sarcoma NR Doxorubicin (metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma) <1% Judson et al, Lancet Onc 2014 
  Doxorubicin + ifosfamide (metastatic soft-tissue sarcoma) 33% Judson et al, Lancet Onc 2014 
Bladder 9.8/100 PY Enfortumab vedotin + pembrolizumab vs platin-based chemotherapy 3.4% vs 34.2% 0.5% vs 19.4% Powles et al, NEJM 2024 
a

Contemporary VTE estimates within 1 year after cancer diagnosis in patients who received chemotherapy or targeted therapy within 4 months following diagnosis.

b

Thrombocytopenia categorized according to the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events of the National Cancer Institute: grade 1: 75-150 G/L, grade 2: 50-75 G/L, grade 3: 25-50 G/L, grade 4: <25 G/L.

*

Glioblastoma overall.

Adapted with permission from Mulder et al.12 

ECF, epirubicin, cisplatin, 5-flourouracil; ECX, epirubicin, cisplatin, capecitabine; EOF, epirubicin, oxaliplatin, 5-flourouracil; EOX, epirubicin, oxaliplatin, capecitabine; FOLFIRINOX, folinic acid (leucovorin), 5-flourouracil, irinotecan, oxaliplatin; FOLFOX, folinic acid (leucovorin), 5-flourouracil, oxaliplatin; Her2, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2; mCRPC, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer; NHL, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; PARP, poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase; PY, patient-years; SCLC, small cell lung cancer; TNBC, triple-negative breast cancer; XELOX, capecitabine, oxaliplatin.

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