Preemptive Cardioprotective Strategies in Patients Receiving Chemotherapy

Cardiovascular risk assessment and management of patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation

The purpose of this review is to provide a framework for the cardiovascular evaluation and management of patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). To accomplish this, we have performed an extensive literature review, critically analyzed the available evidence, and developed a set of recommendations to guide best practice. Herein, we discuss the cardiovascular risk profile of patients undergoing HCT along with putative mechanisms of HCT-induced cardiovascular injury. We then present an algorithm for cardiovascular testing and risk mitigation of potential recipients. Last, we address the management of the most prevalent cardiovascular conditions associated with HCT recipients.

Incidence and trends of cardiovascular mortality after common cancers in young adults: Analysis of surveillance, epidemiology and end-results program

AIM

To describe the incidence of cardiovascular mortality (CVM) in survivors of major cancers and identify its trends over the past two decades.

METHODS

We used the surveillance, epidemiology and end-results 19 registry to identify young adults (20-49 years), diagnosed with the following major primary cancers: Lung, breast, liver/intrahepatic bile duct, pancreas, prostate, colorectal, and ovarian from 1990 through 2012 and identified the cumulative incidence of CVM after adjusting for confounding factors.

RESULTS

We identified a total of 301923 cancers (breast 173748, lung 38938, colorectal 31722, prostate 22848, ovary 16065, liver 9444, pancreas 9158). A total of 2297 (0.8%) of patients had incident CVM. Lung (10-year cumulative CVM 2.4%) and liver (1.73%) cancers had the highest incidence of CVM, while breast (0.6%) and prostate (1.2%) had the lowest CVM mortality, even after multiple adjustments (P < 0.001). Overall, there was a significant improvement in CVM since 1990 [2005-2012 vs 1990-1994, adjusted HR 0.63 (0.54-0.72), P < 0.001]. This was driven by improvements in CVM in lung cancers (P = 0.02), breast (P < 0.001), and a trend in ovarian cancer (P = 0.097). There was no statistically significant improvement in CVM among survivors of colorectal, pancreatic, liver, or prostate cancers.

CONCLUSION

The risk of CVM differs among different cancers, and is highest among survivors of lung and liver cancers. The incidence of CVM has decreased over the past 2 decades mainly among survivors of lung and breast cancers.

Trends and Disparities in Cardiovascular Mortality Among Survivors of Hodgkin Lymphoma

BACKGROUND

Over the past decades, survival of patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) has increased but remains curtailed by cardiovascular mortality (CVM). HL survivors at greatest risk for cardiovascular death have not been clearly identified. We sought to report trends of CVM identify HL survivors at highest risk.

METHODS

The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was queried for all adult patients diagnosed with HL (age 20-49 years) between 1990 and 2011. The trend of CVM and disparities are presented.

RESULTS

Of 19,781 HL patients, 53% were male and 83% were white; patients had a mean age of 33 ± 8.3 years at diagnosis. Eighteen percent had stage I disease, 45% stage II, 18% stage III, and 15% stage IV. The risk for CVM was higher in blacks (adjusted hazard ratio [HR], 1.97; P = .002), men (adjusted HR, 2.2; P < .001), and patients with older age at diagnosis (adjusted HR, 1.073 per year; P < .001). CVM has decreased, with 5-year cumulative incidence decreasing from 1.17% in 1990 to 0.18% in 2006, averaging 7% per year (adjusted HR, 0.927; P < .001). This trend was seen only in patients with early disease (P < .001) but not with advanced disease (P = NS). CVM as a proportion of all-cause mortality increases sharply at 50 years of age, constituting more than 30% of all causes of death.

CONCLUSION

Despite an overall decrease in CVM in HL survivors over the last decades, older patients, black patients, and men, especially those who have advanced-stage disease at diagnosis, are at the highest risk of cardiovascular death. Cardiovascular screening and risk modification should be intensified in HL patients with these characteristics.