Nezam El-Tayebat Fact CheckA scientific assessment of the “نظام الطيبات” nutrition system
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Potentially true Overinterpreted Certainty of evidence: low provisional C-ORG-13

Splenectomy raises the risk of venous thrombosis, cardiovascular events and cancer well beyond the first decade after surgery.

In short: Partly correct: blood clots (and probably stroke) are more frequent after splenectomy even compared with patients with the same disease, but the increases in heart disease and cancer are largely explained by the conditions that led to the operation.
Conclusion: Some risks plausible (stroke, clots); cancer and heart risk partly due to underlying disease.
  1. Original statement
  2. Scientific assessment
  3. Scientific evidence in detail
  4. In plain language
  5. Studies on this claim
  6. Regional context
  7. What applies in my country?
  8. References

Original statement

أظهر كريستينسون (8,149 من المحاربين، متابعة 27 عاماً) ارتفاعاً مستمراً في الالتهاب الرئوي والإنتان والجلطات والأورام يمتد لما بعد العقد الأول من العملية.

verbatim according to source. Translation by the project; the Arabic wording is authoritative.

Translation

Splenectomy raises the risk of venous thrombosis, cardiovascular events and cancer well beyond the first decade after surgery.

Origin

Source status
Archive editors
Attribution
Archive editors (eltayebat.com); not necessarily Elawady's own words
Origin
https://eltayebat.com/rule/unnecessary-organ-removal/
Attribution uncertainty
Editorial summary/narrative and study selection written by the archive operators; the archive states that the cited research documents harm independently of Dr. Diaa's words.
Claimed mechanism

Loss of spleen.

Claimed health effect

Thrombosis, CVD, cancer.

Population concerned

Splenectomized patients

Geographic restriction by Elawady

not applicable

Scientific assessment

Potentially true – Some evidence points in favour of the statement, but it is not sufficient for a clear judgement.

Certainty of evidence: low – Further research is likely to change the assessment considerably.

1. What was claimed?

Splenectomy raises VTE, CV and cancer risk.

2. What is demonstrably correct?

DVT/PE RR 2.2; certain solid and haematologic cancers RR 1.3-6.0 (A-ORG-16); stroke risk elevated even vs disease-matched patients (HR 1.56, A-ORG-17).

3. What is wrong or exaggerated?

When compared with patients who had the same underlying diseases, the excess myocardial infarction and pulmonary hypertension risk disappeared (A-ORG-17); haematologic cancers after splenectomy may reflect the conditions that led to the operation. The archive presents all risks as consequences of splenectomy.

4. What remains unclear?

Which risks are causal.

5. Which studies support it?

A-ORG-16, A-ORG-17 (stroke).

6. Which studies contradict it?

A-ORG-17 (MI, pulmonary hypertension).

7. What applies to Germany and Europe?

Most cited cohorts are Scandinavian (Denmark, Sweden) and directly European; RCTs from the UK and Finland are directly transferable. Guidelines in Europe also emphasize defined indications (not verified here in detail).

8. What is known about Egypt?

No Egypt-specific data on rates or outcomes of tonsillectomy, cholecystectomy, hysterectomy, splenectomy or thyroid surgery were identified in this review.

9. What practical conclusion is appropriate?

Thromboprophylaxis and surveillance are recommended by study authors; causal cancer risk unclear.

Assessment details

Rationale for certainty of evidence

Associations shown, but confounding by the underlying disease is substantial; a disease-matched comparison (archive-cited) explained part of the CV risk.

Source quality

Correct numbers; the archive omits its own cited Rørholt 2017 finding.

Regional transferability

Danish and US data.

Individual exceptions

n/a

Regional scope of the claim
general (biological/medical)
Last reviewed
26 October 2026 provisional

Scientific evidence in detail

Overinterpreted – A real finding exists, but the claim draws more from it than the data allow (e.g. association taken as cause, animal data applied to humans, small effect presented as large).

Research question: Does splenectomy raise the risk of venous thrombosis, cardiovascular events and cancer for more than a decade after surgery?

Research question in detail (PECO)
Population
People after splenectomy
Intervention or exposure
Splenectomy
Comparison
General population; disease-matched non-splenectomised
Geographic scope
universal biology
Outcomes
  • VTE
  • Cardiovascular events
  • Cancer

Study results as reported by the authors. Our assessment follows below.

What speaks for the claim?

What speaks against the claim?

What does the overall evidence say?

Editorial assessment based on the studies above – not itself a study result.

Which position is better supported?

VTE risk after splenectomy is real and persists beyond the early postoperative period; cardiovascular and cancer excesses are largely explained by the underlying diseases.

Why some studies weigh more

Disease-matched comparisons weigh more than population comparisons.

Is a causal relationship established? Probable For VTE: plausible (thrombocytosis, altered red cells) and seen versus disease-matched controls; for cancer/CV: not established.

Remaining uncertainty

Very long-term VTE risk; cancer causality.

Justified conclusion

Partly correct (VTE, stroke); cancer and heart parts overstated.

Why do studies seem to disagree?

Population-based comparisons (Kristinsson) show large risks; disease-matched comparisons (Rørholt, Boyle) show smaller, outcome-specific risks - the difference is confounding by indication.

Does this depend on the country?
General biological effects
Universal.
Eating habits
Not relevant to this claim.
Origin of the food
Not applicable.
Contaminants
Not applicable.
National production conditions
Not applicable.
Legal rules
Not applicable.
Actual monitoring data
No Egypt-specific monitoring data identified.

A regional difference that changes the conclusion is not supported by robust data.

Statistical re-check
  • Absolute VTE difference and NNH – 2.6 points; NNH about 38 recalculated
Certainty of the overall evidence (GRADE, simplified)
Main outcome
Late VTE after splenectomy
Starting level
low (observational studies)
Reasons for downgrading
  • risk of bias
Reasons for upgrading
  • consistency
Result
low

Simplified assessment by a single reviewer, following the GRADE approach; not a formal GRADE panel. GRADE rates the body of evidence for one outcome, not individual studies.

Search strategy

Documented literature searches for this review (search strings in the original database syntax).

DatabaseDateSearchLooking forHitsIncluded
Europe PMC26 October 2026(TITLE:splenectomy OR TITLE:splenectomised OR TITLE:splenectomized OR TITLE:asplenia) AND (TITLE:infection OR TITLE:sepsis OR TITLE:"venous thromboembolism" OR TITLE:thrombosis) AND (cohort OR "population-based")both directions70
PubMed26 October 2026Boyle S[au] AND splenectomy AND immune thrombocytopeniasupporting evidence1
PubMed26 October 2026splenectomy[ti] AND (cancer[ti] OR malignancy[ti]) AND risk AND cohortboth directions13
PubMed26 October 2026(splenectomy[ti]) AND (no increased risk[tiab] OR not associated[tiab]) AND (infection OR thrombosis OR cancer)contradicting evidence596

Open questions

VTE beyond 10 years in disease-matched designs.

How deeply was this checked?

4 linked studies: 0 checked in full text (0 of them with a structured risk-of-bias assessment), 4 on the basis of the abstract, 0 bibliographically only. No formal assessment with two independent reviewers and no independent human expert review has taken place yet.

Last scientific review: 26 October 2026

History of the verdict
  1. 25 October 2026 · Phase 1 · Initial assessment: Potentially true (low)
  2. 26 October 2026 · Phase 4 (systematic evidence review) · Re-examined with extended evidence; verdict unchanged: Potentially true (low)
    Unchanged (“Potentially true”, low).
    New sources: I-ORG-117 I-ORG-118

In plain language

The archive says spleen removal increases blood clots, heart disease and cancer for many years. A US study found such associations, but many people have their spleen removed because of diseases that themselves raise these risks. A Danish study cited by the archive compared patients with the same diseases and found that only stroke risk remained higher.

Studies on this claim

Studies supporting the claim (2)

  • Long-term risks after spleen removal in US veterans

    Kristinsson SY et al.. Haematologica 2014 · PMID 24056815 · DOI 10.3324/haematol.2013.092460
    Cohort studycited by the Tayebat archiveabstract checked★ key study

    Serious infections were 2-3 times more frequent and blood clots about 2 times more frequent after spleen removal.

    Splenectomy raises the risk of venous thrombosis, cardiovascular events and cancer well beyond the first decade after surgery.

    Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: moderate · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim

    Original publication · Scientific details

    Study explained simply
    What did the researchers want to find out?

    Splenectomy risks

    How was the study done?

    Cohort

    How many people, animals or samples were studied?

    8149

    What was actually found?

    Higher infections, clots, cancers

    How large was the observed effect?

    RR 1.9-3.4 infections

    What do the results mean in everyday life?

    Vaccination and prophylaxis are important

    What are the study's limitations?

    Confounding by indication

    What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?

    Supports infection risk; cancer less certain

    Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?

    Applicable

    What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?

    Causation for cancer

    Scientific details →

  • Blood clots and sepsis after spleen removal in ITP

    Boyle S et al.. Blood 2013 · PMID 23637127 · DOI 10.1182/blood-2012-12-467068
    Cohort studyindependent cross-checkabstract checked

    Patients whose spleen was removed had more blood clots (4.3% vs 1.7%) and more sepsis than similar patients who kept their spleen.

    VTE risk remained elevated after 90 days (HR 2.7) versus ITP patients without splenectomy.

    Does the study support the specific claim? Yes · Methodological quality: moderate · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim

    Original publication · Scientific details

    Study explained simply
    What did the researchers want to find out?

    Measure clot and sepsis risk after splenectomy in ITP

    How was the study done?

    Cohort study

    How many people, animals or samples were studied?

    9976 ITP patients

    What was actually found?

    Higher VTE and sepsis risk, early and late

    How large was the observed effect?

    Late VTE HR 2.7

    What do the results mean in everyday life?

    Splenectomy has lasting risks to weigh

    What are the study's limitations?

    Administrative data

    What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?

    Supports the VTE part of the claim

    Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?

    Applicable

    What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?

    Not more than about a decade of data

    Scientific details →

Studies contradicting or limiting the claim (1)

  • Denmark: heart and lung risks after spleen removal

    Rørholt M et al.. Haematologica 2017 · PMID 28572164 · DOI 10.3324/haematol.2016.157008
    Cohort studycited by the Tayebat archiveabstract checked

    Compared with patients with the same diseases, only stroke risk stayed higher; heart attack risk was explained by the underlying disease.

    Splenectomy raises the risk of venous thrombosis, cardiovascular events and cancer well beyond the first decade after surgery.

    Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: high · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim

    Original publication · Scientific details

    Study explained simply
    What did the researchers want to find out?

    CV risk

    How was the study done?

    Cohort with disease-matched controls

    How many people, animals or samples were studied?

    ~70,000

    What was actually found?

    Stroke HR 1.56

    How large was the observed effect?

    HR 1.56

    What do the results mean in everyday life?

    Some but not all risks are due to the operation

    What are the study's limitations?

    5 years

    What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?

    Limits claim

    Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?

    European

    What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?

    Long-term

    Scientific details →

Studies with mixed or unclear results (1)

  • Cancer after spleen removal in Taiwan

    Sun LM et al.. Am J Surg 2015 · PMID 25986002 · DOI 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.01.017
    Cohort studyindependent cross-checkabstract checked

    Cancer was more common after splenectomy, especially when the spleen was removed because of disease rather than injury.

    Cancer excess much smaller after traumatic splenectomy (HR 1.29) than after non-traumatic (2.64), pointing to disease confounding.

    Does the study support the specific claim? Partly · Methodological quality: low · Certainty of evidence: see overall assessment of the claim

    Original publication · Scientific details

    Study explained simply
    What did the researchers want to find out?

    Check cancer risk after splenectomy

    How was the study done?

    National cohort

    How many people, animals or samples were studied?

    About 4900 patients and matched controls

    What was actually found?

    HR 2.64 (disease) and 1.29 (trauma)

    How large was the observed effect?

    HR 1.29-2.64

    What do the results mean in everyday life?

    Part of the risk is the disease, not the operation

    What are the study's limitations?

    Confounding; no CIs in abstract

    What does it say about Elawady's specific claim?

    Partly supports, mostly confounded

    Do the results apply to Germany and Europe?

    Moderate

    What can explicitly not be concluded from this study?

    Cannot prove that removing the spleen causes cancer

    Scientific details →

Regional context

Germany / EU

Most cited cohorts are Scandinavian (Denmark, Sweden) and directly European; RCTs from the UK and Finland are directly transferable. Guidelines in Europe also emphasize defined indications (not verified here in detail).

Egypt

No Egypt-specific data on rates or outcomes of tonsillectomy, cholecystectomy, hysterectomy, splenectomy or thyroid surgery were identified in this review.

What applies in my country?

General scientific assessment

Potentially true Some risks plausible (stroke, clots); cancer and heart risk partly due to underlying disease.

This statement concerns biological or medical relationships. The scientific assessment above applies regardless of the country; country-specific food data do not change it.

References

  1. Long-term risks after splenectomy among 8,149 cancer-free American veterans: a cohort study with up to 27 years follow-up.. Kristinsson SY et al.. Haematologica 2014 · PMID 24056815 · DOI 10.3324/haematol.2013.092460
  2. Splenectomy and the incidence of venous thromboembolism and sepsis in patients with immune thrombocytopenia.. Boyle S et al.. Blood 2013 · PMID 23637127 · DOI 10.1182/blood-2012-12-467068
  3. Risk of cardiovascular events and pulmonary hypertension following splenectomy - a Danish population-based cohort study from 1996-2012.. Rørholt M et al.. Haematologica 2017 · PMID 28572164 · DOI 10.3324/haematol.2016.157008
  4. Splenectomy and increased subsequent cancer risk: a nationwide population-based cohort study.. Sun LM et al.. Am J Surg 2015 · PMID 25986002 · DOI 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.01.017

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