Patients With MPNs Face a Heighted Risk for Thrombotic, Cardiovascular Events

Patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs) — a group of blood cancers that causes the bone marrow to overproduce red or white blood cells or platelets (including polycythemia vera, essential thrombocythemia and myelofibrosis) — face a height risk for thrombotic and cardiovascular events.

But Kim Noonan, DNP, ANP-BC, AOCN, FAAN, Nursing and Patient Care Services Chief Nurse Practitioner at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, said there are things nurses can do to help manage that risk, such as inquiring about patients’ history of blood clots and encouraging patients to not be sedentary, as well as watching for symptoms such as elevated heart rate and shortness of breath.

“I am always thinking about thrombosis first, and then I can relax if I have maybe another explanation for their shortness of breath,” Noonan said. “But we're always working it up, we really do due diligence to not miss some kind of thrombotic event that's going on.”

Noonan spoke with Oncology Nursing News about awareness of the potential for thrombotic and cardiovascular events, risk factors to be mindful of and everyday actions patients can take to lower their risk.

Transcript:

Noonan: NCCN, the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, really has done a lot of work in identifying this for multiple myeloma patients, and they actually have come up with guidelines as to who really needs to be on anticoagulant therapy and who does not, and they've identified factors that we need to consider. And so, I think it's getting a lot of press, it's getting a lot of attention, certainly in the myeloma world. But I think it deserves a little bit more attention, I hate to say it, but maybe in solid tumor worlds as well.

One of the things that I didn't mention was that, I think I said people that are dehydrated are at risk, but also people that have been on like airplane rides, people that have been in long car rides, too, are really at risk. So those are other risk factors that I think I failed to mention.

Oncology Nursing News: Would working a sedentary job, such as a desk job, also potentially be a risk factor as well?

Noonan: That's a huge risk factor, as well, to the point of, we say to people, if you're not getting up and walking around, maybe we should consider putting you on anticoagulation therapy right up front as opposed to just using an aspirin.

Oncology Nursing News: What are some simple things, such as getting up and walking around, that folks can do in their everyday lives to lower their risk?

Noonan: Yeah, that's a really good question. We really want people to stay hydrated. We want them to get up and walk around. We want them to be aware of what the symptoms are, they can be doing everything right and still develop a clot because of the medication that they're on.

But I think also, education is essential, that you are on a medication that can increase your chances of developing a clot or thrombosis, and just be aware of what the symptoms are.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.