Blood clots after brain tumor surgery happen early most often
Original title: Early versus late venous thromboembolism in patients with newly diagnosed high-grade gliomas.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This looked back at past patient records, so no new treatment was tested.
The short version
Blood clots in people with high-grade brain tumors show up most often in the first 6 months after surgery.
What was studied. Doctors looked back at records of 894 people with newly found high-grade gliomas, treated from 2010 to 2023. They checked who got a blood clot, when it happened, and what raised the risk. They also tested a risk tool called GliomaPredictVTE.
What they found. Blood clots were far more common in glioblastoma: A glioma that is given grade 4. Grade 4 is the highest grade there is. The tumor grows fast. Treatment usually starts soon after it is found. It often means surgery, and then radiation and chemotherapy. See the glossary. 21.5% had a clot within 6 months, and 26.4% by 12 months. For gliomas with an IDH gene change: A small change in a tumor's IDH gene. It is the first thing your team looks at when naming an adult glioma, and it can affect which treatments are offered. Your pathology report says whether your tumor has it. See the glossary, it was 6.3% and 8.3%. Clots built up fast in the first 6 months, then rose more slowly. Early clots were tied to older age, weak limbs, trouble walking, and radiation alone. Later clots were tied to older age and smoking. The risk tool guessed too low. It predicted 11.0% at 6 months, but 19.9% really happened.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: Clot risk is not the same at every point in care. It is highest in the first months after surgery. Knowing that can help you and your care team stay alert during that time. It also shows the GliomaPredictVTE tool may give too low a number for people like these.
What it doesn't mean: This does not mean you will get a blood clot. This was not a test of any drug or treatment, and it is not a cure for anything. The doctors looked back at records already collected. That kind of study can show patterns, but it cannot prove cause. The authors say new studies are still needed before giving clot-preventing medicine to everyone at high risk. Nothing here changes your care on its own, so talk with your own doctor.
Source: PubMed, October 24, 2026 · Read the original
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