JNCI and cancer prevention

The Cardiovascular Risks Associated with Aromatase Inhibitors, Tamoxifen, and GnRH Agonists in Women with Breast Cancer

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Cardiovascular disease accounts for up to 10% of all-cause mortality in women with a diagnosis of breast cancer, and the causes for this are multifaceted. Many women at risk of or with a diagnosis of breast cancer are on endocrine-modulating therapies. It is therefore important to understand the effect of hormone therapies on cardiovascular outcomes in breast cancer patients to mitigate against any adverse effects and to identify those most at risk so that they can be proactively managed. Here we discuss the pathophysiology of these agents, their effect on the cardiovascular system, and the latest evidence on their cardiovascular risks association.

RECENT FINDINGS

Tamoxifen appears to be cardioprotective during treatment but not over the longer term, while the effect of AIs on cardiovascular outcomes remains controversial. Heart failure outcomes remain understudied, and the cardiovascular effects of gonadotrophin-releasing hormone agonists (GNRHa) in women need further research, especially since data from men with prostate cancer have indicated an increased risk of cardiac events in GNRHa users. There remains a need for a greater understanding of the effects of hormone therapies on cardiovascular outcomes in breast cancer patients. Further areas of research in this area include developing evidence to better define the optimal preventive and screening methods for cardiovascular effects and the risk factors for patients on hormonal therapies.

How vision and leadership shaped the U.S. National Cancer Institute's 50-year journey to advance the evidence base of cancer control and cancer care delivery research

In 1971, Congress passed the National Cancer Act, landmark legislation that reorganized the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute (NCI). The Act included a new focus on cancer control, including the requirement that the NCI award research grants and contracts, in collaboration with other public agencies and private industry, to conduct cancer control activities related to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of cancer. The requirement placed the NCI at the nexus of a rapidly changing science and a complex and dynamic healthcare delivery system and involved an evolutionary transformation to advance cancer control and cancer care delivery research along the cancer care continuum. Analysis is based on a qualitative ethnographic approach using historical records, oral histories, and targeted interviews. The multimethod approach provided the opportunity to describe the vision, leadership, and struggle to build an infrastructure, expand expertise, and forge collaboration with the NCI and a complex and changing healthcare system. As the 50th anniversary of the National Cancer Act approaches in 2021, the process and these achievements are at risk of being taken for granted or lost in the flow of history. Documenting the process, milestones, and key players provides insight and guidance for continuing to improve cancer care, advance research, and reduce cancer incidence and mortality. Cancer care is a microcosm of the larger healthcare system providing insight and lessons on the importance of developing and maintaining a research infrastructure and the role of multi-level collaboration and partnerships involving both the private and public sectors.

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Fifty years ago the U.S. National Cancer Act mandated Cancer Control activities.

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Vision and leadership at the NCI were critical to advance cancer control on a global scale.

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Cancer care is a microcosm of challenges facing health policy globally.

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Evidence based strategies and infrastructure are important building blocks.

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Public-private collaboration is essential for meeting future challenges.