Transcatheter aortic valve intervention in patients with cancer

Impact of cancer in patients with aortic stenosis undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement: A systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Owing to the minimally invasive nature of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR), TAVR seems to be preferred in patients with cancer; however, related research on the clinical efficacy and safety of TAVR in patients with cancer and severe aortic stenosis is limited, and conclusions are controversial. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical outcomes of patients with cancer who underwent TAVR.

Method and results

We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to investigate the clinical outcomes in patients with and without cancer who underwent TAVR. We systematically reviewed and analyzed 15 studies (195,658 patients) published in PubMed and Cochrane Library databases between January 2022 and January 2023. The primary outcomes were short-term (in-hospital or 30-day) and long-term (≥12 months) mortality. The prevalence of current or previous cancer in the patients undergoing TAVR was 19.8 % (38,695 patients). Patients with cancer had a lower risk of short-term mortality (odds ratio [OR] 0.69, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 0.61-0.77, P < 0.001) but a higher risk of long-term mortality (OR 1.54, 95 % CI 1.35-1.76, P < 0.001) than those without cancer. Patients with cancer had a lower incidence of postprocedural stroke and acute kidney injury but a higher incidence of pacemaker implantation than patients without cancer.

Conclusions

Patients with cancer undergoing TAVR have a good short-term prognosis and acceptable perioperative complications compared with patients without cancer. However, the long-term outcomes are contingent on cancer survival.

Management of cancer patients at high and very-high risk of cardiotoxicity: Main questions and answers

In recent years, important advances have been made in the field of Cardio-Oncology. The 2022 ESC Guidelines on Cardio-Oncology proposed a baseline cardiovascular risk stratification for cancer patients and preventive strategies in patients at high and very-high risk of cardiotoxicity. Cardiovascular toxic effects of anti-cancer drugs are being extensively studied; surveillance programs have been proposed, based on the baseline cardiovascular risk. On the other hand, there is little data on Cardio-Oncological management of patients at high and very-high cardiovascular risk with previous cardiovascular diseases. For example, little is known about management of cancer patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF), patients with a recent myocardial infarction or other cardiovascular diseases; when to resume anti-cancer drugs after a cardiovascular toxic event. Collaboration between Cardiologists and Oncologists and multidisciplinary team evaluations are certainly essential to decide the best therapeutic strategy for cancer patients, to treat cancer while saving the heart. Therefore, in the present review, we attempt to provide a useful guide to clinicians in treating patients with high and very-high risk of cardiotoxicity by enucleating main questions and answering them based on the evidence available as well as expert opinion and our clinical experience.