Evidence map›Paper›PMID 38847907›Full record

ArticleCardiovascular drugs and therapy2025

Effectiveness and Safety of Direct Oral Anticoagulants Versus Warfarin in Patients with Atrial Fibrillation and Cancer: A Target Trial Emulation from SEER-Medicare Database.

Bang Truong, Lori Hornsby, Brent Fox, Chiahung Chou, Jingyi Zheng, Jingjing Qian

Abstract readComparative Study
In one paragraph

Article in Cardiovascular drugs and therapy, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors.

Bang TruongDepartment of Health Outcomes Research and Policy, Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy, 4306d Walker Building, Auburn, AL, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8654-5444
Lori HornsbyDepartment of Pharmacy Practice, Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy, Auburn, AL, USA.
Brent FoxDepartment of Health Outcomes Research and Policy, Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy, 4306d Walker Building, Auburn, AL, USA.
Chiahung ChouDepartment of Health Outcomes Research and Policy, Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy, 4306d Walker Building, Auburn, AL, USA.
Jingyi ZhengDepartment of Mathematics and Statistics, Auburn University College of Sciences and Mathematics, Auburn, AL, USA.
Jingjing QianDepartment of Health Outcomes Research and Policy, Auburn University Harrison College of Pharmacy, 4306d Walker Building, Auburn, AL, USA. jzq0004@auburn.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-4624-9963

Funding

NCI NIH HHS HHSN261201800009INCI NIH HHS HHSN261201800015INCI NIH HHS HHSN261201800032I
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDirect oral anticoagulants (DOACs) are preferred over warfarin in patients with atrial fibrillation (AFib). However, their safety and effectiveness in patients with AFib and cancer are inconclusive.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective cohort study by emulating a target trial. Patients with a record of cancer (breast, prostate, or lung), newly diagnosed with AFib initiated DOACs or warfarin within 3 months after AFib diagnosis from the 2012-2019 Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER)-Medicare database were included. We compared the risk of ischemic stroke, major bleeding, and secondary outcomes (venous thromboembolism, intracranial bleeding, gastrointestinal bleeding, and non-critical site bleeding) between patients who initiated DOACs and warfarin. Inverse probability treatment weights and inverse probability censoring weights were used to adjust imbalanced patient and disease characteristics and loss to follow-up between the two groups. Weighted pooled logistic regression were used to estimate treatment effect with hazard ratios (HRs) with 95% confidence interval (95% CIs).

resultsThe incidence rates of stroke and major bleeding between DOAC and warfarin initiators were 9.97 vs. 9.91 and 7.74 vs. 9.24 cases per 1000 person-years, respectively. In adjusted intention-to-treat analysis, patients initiated DOACs had no statistically significant difference in risk of ischemic stroke (HR = 0.87, 95% CI 0.52-1.44) and major bleeding (HR = 1.14, 95% CI 0.77-1.68) compared to those initiated warfarin. In adjusted per-protocol analysis, there was no statistical difference in risk of ischemic stroke (HR = 1.81, 95% CI 0.75-4.36) and lower risk for major bleeding, but the 95% CI was wide (HR = 0.35, 95% CI 0.12-0.99) among DOAC initiators compared to warfarin initiators. The benefits in secondary outcomes were in favor of DOACs. The findings remained consistent across subgroups and sensitivity analyses.

conclusionDOACs are safe and effective alternatives to warfarin in the management of patients with AFib and cancer.

Indexed as

AnticoagulantsAtrial FibrillationFactor Xa InhibitorsIschemic StrokeNeoplasmsStrokeWarfarinAdministration, OralAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleHemorrhageHumansIncidenceMaleMedicareAnticoagulantsFactor Xa InhibitorsWarfarinAFibBleedingCancerDOACsStrokeWarfarin

Identifiers

PMID38847907
PMCPMC12296962

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.