Endometrial cancer does not increase the 30-day risk of venous thromboembolism following hysterectomy compared to benign disease. A Danish National Cohort Study

OBJECTIVES: We aimed to clarify if endometrial cancer patients are at higher risk of venous thromboembolism (VTE) following hysterectomy, compared to patients undergoing hysterectomy for benign gynecological disease.

METHODS: In a nationwide registry-based cohort study, patients undergoing hysterectomy for endometrial cancer or benign disease were followed 30 days after surgery. The Danish Gynecological Cancer Database (DGCD) and the Danish National Patient Register (DNPR) were linked with four other administrative registries to describe the population and retrieve data on venous thromboembolism and mortality. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to estimate odds ratios (ORs) for 30-day postoperative VTE.

RESULTS: We identified 5513 patients with endometrial cancer, and 45,825 patients with benign disease undergoing hysterectomy in the period 2005-2014. The overall incidence of 30-day VTE following hysterectomy was 0.2% (103/51,338). Thirty (0.5%) patients with endometrial cancer and 73 (0.16%) patients with benign disease developed VTE. In a multivariable logistic regression analysis, significant predictors of 30-day OR for VTE were open surgery (minimally invasive surgery vs. open: OR = 0.46; 95% CI, 0.30-0.71; p < 0.001), lymphadenectomy (OR = 4.00; 95% CI, 1.89-8.46; p < 0.001), BMI > 40 (OR = 2.34;95% CI, 1.10-5.01; p = 0.03) and previous VTE (OR = 34; 95% CI, 22.7-51.3; p < 0.001). There was no statistically significant difference in the 30-day OR for VTE in endometrial cancer compared to benign disease (OR = 1.47; 95% CI, 0.74-2.91; p = 0.27).

CONCLUSIONS: This study did not identify endometrial cancer to be an independent risk factor for VTE following hysterectomy compared to benign disease. We identified open surgery, lymphadenectomy, BMI above 40 and previous VTE as independent risk factors for 30-day postoperative VTE.