Safety of fondaparinux to prevent venous thromboembolism in Japanese patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery: a multicenter study

PURPOSE: To investigate the safety and efficacy of fondaparinux (FPX) for venous thromboembolism (VTE) prophylaxis in Japanese patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery. METHODS: The subjects of this multicenter, open-label, prospective observational study were patients undergoing resection of the colon/rectum for colorectal cancer. All patients were given FPX 2.5 or 1.5 mg by subcutaneous injection, once daily for 4–8 days, starting 24 h after surgery. The primary endpoint was any major bleeding event and the secondary endpoint was any symptomatic VTE event. RESULTS: Between February 2009 and December 2010, 619 patients from 23 institutions were enrolled in this study. The median duration of FPX prophylaxis was 4 days. The incidence of major bleeding was 0.81 % [5/619, 95 % confidence interval (CI) 0.3–1.9] and the incidence of minor bleeding was 9.5 % (59/619, 95 % CI 7.3–12.1). There was no fatal bleeding or symptomatic VTE. Multivariable analysis revealed the following to be risk factors for bleeding events: preoperative platelet count <15 × 10(4)/µl [odds ratio (OR) 4.521], male sex (OR 2.078), and blood loss during surgery <50 ml (OR 2.019). CONCLUSION: The administration of 2.5/1.5 mg FPX 24 h after colorectal cancer surgery is safe and effective.