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Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is often observed in patients with metastatic malignancies and is associated with the presence of circulating tissue factor-bearing microparticles. KRAS mutations upregulate tissue factor on the surface of colorectal cancer cells, but whether patients with these mutations are at increased risk for VTE is uncertain.
To examine the association between KRAS mutations and VTE, investigators conducted a retrospective study of 172 patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and observed the following:
KRAS was mutated in 37.8% of patients, and VTE occurred in the 6 months before or after the cancer diagnosis in 23.3%.
VTE was associated with mutated KRAS (odds ratio, 2.21; 95% confidence interval, 1.08–4.53).
The associati…