Use of coronary artery calcium testing to improve coronary heart disease risk assessment in a lung cancer screening population: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA)

Impact of continuous care on cardiac function in patients with lung cancer complicated by coronary heart disease

BACKGROUND

Despite sharing similar pathogenic factors, cancer and coronary heart disease (CHD) occur in comparable populations at similar ages and possess similar susceptibility factors. Consequently, it is increasingly commonplace for patients to experience the simultaneous occurrence of cancer and CHD, a trend that is steadily rising.

AIM

To determine the impacts of continuing care on lung cancer patients with CHD following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI).

METHODS

There were 94 lung cancer patients with CHD following PCI who were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 38) and the control group (n = 41). In the intervention group, continuing care was provided, while in the control group, routine care was provided. An evaluation of cardiac and pulmonary function, medication compliance, a 6-min walk test, and patient quality of life was performed.

RESULTS

Differences between the two groups were significant in left ventricular ejection fraction, 6-min walk test, oxygen uptake, quality of life and medication compliance (P < 0.05). In comparison with the control group, the enhancement in the intervention group was more significant. The intervention group had more patients with high medication compliance than the control group, with a statistically significant difference (P < 0.05).

CONCLUSION

After undergoing PCI, lung patients with CHD could benefit from continued care in terms of cardiac and pulmonary function, medications compliance, and quality of life.

Quantification of Coronary Artery Atherosclerotic Burden and Muscle Mass: Exploratory Comparison of Two Freely Available Software Programs

Coronary artery calcification and sarcopenia may have a relevant prognostic impact in oncological and non-oncological patients. The use of freeware software is promising for quantitative evaluation of these parameters after whole-body positron emission tomography (PET)/computed tomography (CT) and might be useful for one-stop shop risk stratification without additional radiation ionizing burden and further charges to health care costs. In this study, we compared two semiautomatic freeware software tools (Horos Medical Image software and LIFEx) for the assessment of coronary artery calcium (CAC) score and muscle mass in 40 patients undergoing whole-body PET/CT. The muscle areas obtained by the two software programs were comparable, showing high correlation with Lin’s concordance coefficient (0.9997; 95% confidence intervals: 0.9995–0.9999) and very good agreement with Bland–Altman analysis (mean difference = 0.41 cm2, lower limit = −1.06 cm2, upper limit = 1.89) was also found. For CAC score, Lin’s concordance correlation coefficient was 0.9976 (95% confidence intervals: 0.9965–0.9984) and in a Bland–Altman analysis an increasing mean difference from 8 to 78 by the mean values (intercept = −0.050; slope = 0.054; p < 0.001) was observed, with a slight overestimation of Horos CAC score as compared to LIFEx, likely due to a different calculation method of the CAC score, with the ROI being equal for the two software programs. Our results demonstrated that off-line analysis performed with freeware software may allow a comprehensive evaluation of the oncological patient, making available the evaluation of parameters, such as muscle mass and calcium score, that may be relevant for the staging and prognostic stratification of these patients, beside standard data obtained by PET/CT imaging. For this purpose, the Horos and LIFEx software seem to be interchangeable.

Etiology and Management of Dyslipidemia in Patients With Cancer

Patients with cancer are now living longer than ever before due to the growth and expansion of highly effective antineoplastic therapies. Many of these patients face additional health challenges, of which cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading contributor to morbidity and mortality. CVD and cancer share common biological mechanisms and risk factors, including lipid abnormalities. A better understanding of the relationship between lipid metabolism and cancer can reveal strategies for cancer prevention and CVD risk reduction. Several anticancer treatments adversely affect lipid levels, increasing triglycerides and/or LDL-cholesterol. The traditional CVD risk assessment tools do not include cancer-specific parameters and may underestimate the true long-term CVD risk in this patient population. Statins are the mainstay of therapy in both primary and secondary CVD prevention. The role of non-statin therapies, including ezetimibe, PCSK9 inhibitors, bempedoic acid and icosapent ethyl in the management of lipid disorders in patients with cancer remains largely unknown. A contemporary cancer patient needs a personalized comprehensive cardiovascular assessment, management of lipid abnormalities, and prevention of late CVD to achieve optimal overall outcomes.

Accurate measurement of coronary artery calcium in cancer patients using the CT component of PET/CT scans

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this study is to establish the correlation between a CAC score derived from the CT component of PET/CT scan (CAC-PET) using in-house software as compared to the conventional technique (CAC-Standard). In addition, the incidence of high CAC scores in asymptomatic cancer patients with low-to-intermediate cardiovascular risk will be determined.

METHODS

100 patients referred for oncologic PET/CT were prospectively recruited to have a conventional CAC score after their PET/CT. Patients with a history of cardiac disease were excluded. The nongated CT images from the PET/CT (CAC-PET) were analysed using validated in-house software with the results compared to those from gated CT analysed using the standard technique (CAC-Standard).

RESULTS

The correlation of CAC scores between the two scan types was moderate [slope, 0.95; R2 = 0.91; limits of agreement (LOA) = 0.29-5.65]. Using a conventional categorical analysis, there was complete agreement in 73% of patients with one category difference in the remainder. [interclass correlation (ICC) = 0.90; Cohen's kappa = 0.63]. In total 28% of these asymptomatic low-to-intermediate-risk cancer patients had CAC scores over 300.

CONCLUSION

Estimation of CAC from the CT component of PET/CT scans is a reliable method for the detection of significant CAC in cancer patients and correlates well with the standard method. This technique should permit the calculation of cardiovascular risk in cancer patients undergoing PET/CT without any additional radiation exposure. A significant number of asymptomatic low-to-intermediate-risk cancer patients were found to have a high risk of cardiovascular disease.

Impact on All-Cause and Cardiovascular Mortality Rates of Coronary Artery Calcifications Detected during Organized, Low-Dose, Computed-Tomography Screening for Lung Cancer: Systematic Literature Review and Meta-Analysis

Simple Summary

The results of several randomized studies showed the efficacy of organized, low-dose, computed-tomography (CT) scan lung-cancer screening in lowering all-cause and lung-cancer-specific mortality rates. Low-dose CT scans can also detect and quantify coronary artery calcifications (CACs). By means of meta-analysis, we were able to show that the presence of CACs in CT performed in this setting was associated with an enhanced risk of cardiovascular and all-cause mortality for men and women. These finding plead for the implementation of preventive interactions against cardiovascular risk in lung-cancer screening-program participants found to have CACs.

Abstract

Although organized, low-dose, computed-tomography (CT) scan lung-cancer screening has been shown to lower all-cause and lung-cancer-specific mortality, the primary cause of death for subjects eligible for such screening remains cardiovascular (CV) mortality. This meta-analysis study was undertaken to evaluate the impact of screening-scan-detected coronary artery calcifications (CACs) on CV and all-cause mortality. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of studies reporting CV mortality according to the Agatson CAC score for participants in a lung-cancer screening program of randomized clinical or cohort studies. PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane databases were screened in June 2020. Two authors independently selected articles and extracted data. Six studies, including 20,175 subjects, were retained. CV and all-cause mortality rates were higher for subjects with CAC scores >0, with respective relative risks of 2.02 [95% CI 1.23–3.32] and 2.29 [95% CI 1.00–5.21]. Both mortality rates were even higher for those with high CAC scores (>400 or >1000). CACs are more common in men than in women, with an odds ratio of 1.49 [95% CI 1.40–1.59]. The presence of CAC is associated with CV mortality with an RR of 2.05 [95% CI 1.20–3.57] in men and 2.37 [CI 95% 1.29–5.09] in women, respectively. Analysis of lung-cancer-screening scans for CACs is a tool able to predict CV mortality. Prospective studies within those programs are needed to assess the benefit of primary CV prevention based on CAC detection.

Cardiovascular Risk in the Lung Cancer Screening Population: A Multicenter Study Evaluating the Association Between Coronary Artery Calcification and Preventive Statin Prescription

OBJECTIVE

Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a marker of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD), the leading cause of death in individuals receiving lung cancer screening (LCS) with low-dose CT. Our purpose was to determine the proportion of the LCS population eligible for primary ASCVD preventive statin therapy by American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines, assess statin prescription rates among statin-eligible individuals, and determine associations of CAC on downstream statin prescribing within 90 days of LCS.

METHODS

Individuals receiving LCS between January 1, 2016, and December 31, 2018, across three centers were retrospectively enrolled. Statin eligibility in individuals without pre-existing ASCVD was determined by 2013 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association guidelines: (1) low-density lipoprotein ≥190 mg/dL, (2) diabetes, or (3) ASCVD risk score ≥7.5%. CAC presence and severity (mild, moderate, heavy) were extracted from LCS reports. Variation in statin prescription rates and associations between CAC and statin prescription were determined using mixed-effects logistic regression.

RESULTS

Of 5,495 individuals receiving LCS, 31.4% (1,724 of 5,495) had pre-existing ASCVD. Of the remaining 3,771 individuals, 73.6% were statin eligible (2,777 of 3,771). However, most lacked statin prescription (60.5%, 1,681 of 2,777). CAC was associated with downstream statin prescribing (adjusted odds ratio = 2.60, 95% confidence interval: 1.12-6.02), with a higher likelihood of statin prescribing with increasing CAC severity (adjusted odds ratio = 2.21, 95% confidence interval: 1.35-3.60).

CONCLUSION

Although most of the LCS population is eligible for guideline-directed statin therapy, statins are underprescribed in this group. Radiologist reporting of CAC at LCS reflects a potential opportunity to raise awareness of ASCVD risk and improve preventive statin prescribing.

Imaging Biomarkers of Hypothyroidism on Lung Cancer Screening CT

PURPOSE

To assess the feasibility of attenuation and size measurement of the thyroid gland as an imaging biomarker for hypothyroidism in patients undergoing lung cancer screening (LCS) with low dose CT.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

With institutional review board (IRB) approval, we retrospectively reviewed all patients with LCS CT between September 1, 2016 and March 31, 2020, who had at least 1 thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) test within 90 days of the patient's most recent screening CT. Hypothyroid patients were identified through billing diagnosis and/or elevated TSH or those on treatment with thyroxine; normal patients were identified as those without a diagnosis of hypothyroidism and normal TSH. For each hypothyroid patient, an age- and sex-matched normal control was included. The diameters and attenuation of both lobes of the thyroid gland were measured for each case; patients in whom the thyroid gland could not be seen to measure were excluded.

RESULTS

A total of 304 patients were included. The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve for size and attenuation of the left lobe were 0.774 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.714-0.825) and 0.812 (95% CI 0.759-0.861), respectively; and for the right lobe were 0.776 (95% CI 0.719-0.827) and 0.794 (95% CI 0.740-0.847), respectively. We developed a decision tree algorithm to predict hypothyroidism combining the minimum size and attenuation of either lobe of the thyroid gland, with sensitivity, specificity, and accuracy of 76%, 87%, and 82%, respectively.

CONCLUSION

Size and attenuation of the thyroid gland can be used to identify potential hypothyroid patients undergoing LCS.

Association between coronary artery calcium and cardiovascular disease as a supporting cause in cancer: The CAC consortium

BACKGROUND

Identifying cancer patients at high risk of CVD is important for targeting CVD prevention strategies and evaluating chemotherapy options in the context of cardiotoxicity. Coronary artery calcium (CAC), a strong marker of coronary atherosclerosis, is used clinically to enhance risk assessment, yet the value of CAC for assessing risk of CVD complications in cancer is poorly understood.

OBJECTIVE

In cases of cancer mortality, to determine the value of CAC for predicting risk of CVD as a supporting cause of death.

METHODS

The CAC Consortium is a multi-center cohort of 66,636 asymptomatic adults without CVD who underwent CAC scanning. During a follow-up of 12.5 years, 1129 patients died of cancer and were included in this analysis. The primary outcome was presence of CVD listed as a supporting cause of cancer mortality on official death certificates obtained from the National Death Index. Logistic regression models were used to assess the odds of CVD being listed as a supporting cause of death by CAC.

RESULTS

CVD was listed as a supporting cause of death in 306 (27%) cancer mortality cases. Baseline CAC was significantly higher in individuals with CVD-supported mortality. Odds ratios of having CVD-supported death increased by ASCVD risk score category [1.15 (0.81, 1.65) for 5-20% 10-year risk and 1.97 (1.36, 2.89) for ≥20% risk, in reference to <5% 10-year ASCVD risk] and CAC category [1.07 (0.73, 1.57) for CAC 1-99, 1.29 (0.87, 1.93) for CAC 100-399, and 2.14 (1.48, 3.09) for CAC ≥400 relative to CAC 0]. In the CAC ≥400 group, these associations remained significantly elevated after adjustment for traditional CVD risk factors [1.66 (1.08, 2.55)]. A sensitivity analysis using a more specific ASCVD-supported mortality outcome, defined as coronary heart disease, stroke, and peripheral artery disease, demonstrated that adjusted odds of ASCVD-supported cancer mortality were significantly elevated in the CAC ≥400 group relative to CAC 0 [3.09 (1.39, 7.38)].

CONCLUSIONS

In cancer mortality cases, high antecedent CAC predicted risk of having CVD as a supporting cause of death on official death certificates, independently of ASCVD risk score and CVD risk factors. CAC may be useful for identifying cancer patients at high CVD risk who might benefit from more intense preventive cardiovascular therapies.

2019 ESC/EAS Guidelines for management of dyslipidaemia: strengths and limitations

In 2019, the European Society of Cardiology and European Atherosclerosis Society released a new guideline document with substantial changes regarding the assessment of cardiovascular risk and treatments. The update of high-risk criteria and categories led to a better detection and primary prevention of patients at risk of a first cardiovascular event. Nonetheless, additional efforts are needed for a better inclusion of risk modifiers, especially specific to women, to improve risk stratification and direct primary prevention. Eventually, we discuss how these new guidelines implement PCSK9 inhibitors for very high-risk individuals and the evidence supporting new low-density lipoprotein cholesterol goals below, such as 55 and 40 mg/dL.

The association of coronary artery calcium score and mortality risk among smokers: The coronary artery calcium consortium

BACKGROUND AND AIMS

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are the two leading causes of death in smokers. Lung cancer screening is recommended in a large proportion of smokers. We examined the implication of coronary artery calcium (CAC) score (quantitative and qualitative) for cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD), and cancer mortality risk prediction among current smokers.

METHODS

We included current smokers without known heart disease from the CAC Consortium. Cox regression (for all-cause mortality) and Fine-and-Gray competing-risk regression (for CVD, CHD, and cancer mortality) models, adjusted for traditional CVD risk factors, were used to assess the association between CAC and each mortality outcome, with CAC as a continuous (log2-transformed) or categorical variable (CAC = 0, CAC = 1-99, CAC = 100-399, and CAC ≥400). We used number of vessels with CAC as a surrogate for the qualitative measure of CAC and mortality outcomes. Analyses were repeated for lung cancer screening-eligible population (defined as ever smokers with >30 pack years smoking history) (n = 1,149). Hazard ratios (HR) for all-cause mortality and Subdistribution HRs (sHR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were reported.

RESULTS

Over a median of 11.9 years (25th-75th percentile: 10.2-13.3) of follow-up, of 5,147 current smokers (mean age 52.5 ± 9.4, 32.4% women) 337 died (102 of CVD, 54 of CHD, and 123 of cancer). A doubling of CAC score was associated with increased HRs of all-cause mortality (1.10 (1.06-1.14)), and sHRs for CVD (1.15 (1.07-1.24)), CHD (1.26 (1.11-1.42)) and cancer mortality (1.06 (1.00-1.13)). Those with CAC ≥400 had increased sHR of CVD (3.55 (1.70-7.41)), CHD (8.80 (2.41-32.10)), and cancer mortality (1.85 (1.07-3.22)), compared with those with CAC = 0. A diffuse CAC pattern significantly increased the risk of all-cause, CVD, and CHD mortality among smokers. Results were consistent for the lung cancer screening-eligible population.

CONCLUSIONS

Qualitative and quantitative CAC scores can prognosticate risk of all-cause, CVD, CHD, and cancer mortality beyond traditional risk factors among all smokers as well as those eligible for lung cancer screening.

Applications of Cardiac Computed Tomography in the Cardio-Oncology Population

OPINION STATEMENT

The increased risk for cardiovascular events in aging cancer survivors and those undergoing certain chemotherapeutic treatments has raised concern for more rigorous screening and surveillance methods above that of the general population. At this time, there are limited guidelines for how to best manage this vulnerable cohort. Questions regarding timing of screening, choice of imaging modality and risk reduction strategies-especially in those patients with known atherosclerotic disease-remain to be elucidated. Over a decade of case series, retrospective studies and clinical trials have shed light on the evolving role of cardiac computed tomography (CT) in this population, of which there is a relative paucity of data regarding its potential utility in the specific cardio-oncology population. Focusing on ability of cardiac CT to evaluate multiple cardiac and vascular structures, provide diagnostic and prognostic information, as well as assist interventional and surgical colleagues in surgical/percutaneous valve replacement and revascularization strategies is the premise for this review.