Rationale for Therapy
The most common indications for initiating therapy included extent of disease (n=87, 54.7%), coagulopathy (n=65, 40.9%), pain (n=61, 38.4%), and thrombocytopenia (n=59, 37.1%). Reported range for thrombocytopenia for patients starting medical therapy for this indication was 3,000-107,000/uL. Patients with KMP were more likely to have initiated therapy for coagulopathy, anemia, thrombocytopenia, cardiac dysfunction, and airway compression (Table 2). Pain and cosmesis were more likely to prompt therapy initiation for patients without KMP. Other reasons for treatment initiation included avoidance of scarring/contracture, rapid tumor growth, coagulopathy, functional impairment, hypertension (compression of renal vasculature), high output-cardiac failure, airway involvement, proximity to critical structures, and pleural and pericardial effusions.