Notice for those who have this blood type

Doctor: Announcement for those who have this blood type. Researchers noted an association of non-O blood types with an increased risk of venous thromboembolism among patients with intermediate- and low-risk tumors, report Healio.

Genetic risk factor for thrombosis

“Venous thromboembolism is a common complication in cancer patients, including deep vein thrombosis and pulmonary embolism,” said Professor Cihan Ay, from the Medical University of Vienna.

The professor also says that “non-O blood types, including type A, AB or B, are a known risk factor for VTE in the general population, not diagnosed with cancer. It is the most common genetic risk factor for thrombosis. It was not clear whether this was also true in cancer patients. So we wanted to see if ABO blood type plays a role in cancer-related thrombosis.”

Important findings

The researchers analyzed 1,708 patients with recently diagnosed or recurrent cancer, included in the “Vienna Cancer and Thrombosis Study” (CATS) cohort. The follow-up spanned a period of 24 months.

According to the study results, 151 patients developed VTE. Although initially the researchers did not observe an association between non-O blood type and risk of VTE (standardized HR (sHR) = 1; 95% CI, 0.6-1.67) during the first 3 months of follow-up they found an association between non-O blood groups and a higher risk of subsequent VTE (sHR = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.12-2.85).

Furthermore, the results showed an association between non-O blood groups and increased risk of VTE among patients with intermediate and low thrombotic risk tumor types (sHR = 1.73; 95% CI, 1.09-2, 73).

The researchers did not see an association between venous thromboembolism risk and non-O blood type in those with very high-risk tumor types, including pancreatic, gastroesophageal, and brain cancers (sHR = 0.94; 95% CI, 0.55 -1.61).

“Although these findings are new, they are only exploratory in nature and therefore require further investigation,” added Professor Cihan Ay. “It would be interesting to better understand the mechanism underlying this observation. In general, the desire to understand the mechanism underlying cancer-associated VTE is very strong,” he explained.

Thromboembolism is characterized by the formation of blood clots inside the veins, blocking, totally or partially, the passage of blood. The clot, known as a thrombus, forms when an imbalance in the clotting mechanism occurs. Post-surgical complications, a genetic predisposition, obesity, smoking, pregnancy and long periods of complete rest can influence the development of blood clots.