- Breast and blood cancer survivors could have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease.
- Researchers report that survivors of blood cancer had the highest risk and developed changes in the size and function of their heart.
- Breast cancer survivors also had an elevated risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
Breast and blood cancer survivors might have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, according to a study published today in the online journal Heart.
Researchers assessed the cardiovascular health of 18,714 UK Biobank participants with a previous diagnosis of cancer.
The breakdown on types of cancer was as follows:
- lung – 313
- breast – 9,531
- prostate – 3,291
- blood – 2,230
- uterine – 937
- colon – 2,412
The average age for the participants was 62 and about two-thirds were women.
The scientists matched the participants to control subjects based on age and traditional risk factors. The controls did not have a history of cancer.
Cardiovascular health of the participants and the controls was tracked for approximately 12 years.
Around one-third of the cancer survivors developed one or more of the following conditions:
New cardiovascular disease, including ischemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart disease developed in:
- 49% of lung cancer survivors
- 48% of blood cancer survivors
- 41% of prostate cancer survivors
Blood cancer survivors had a significantly higher risk of developing all cardiovascular diseases considered in the study. MRI scans also showed changes in the size and function of their hearts.
The researchers noted that people with blood cancer are typically exposed to chemotherapies that are harmful to the heart and radiotherapy that can damage the chest wall overlying the heart.
Breast cancer survivors had an elevated risk of developing and dying from heart failure and non-ischemic cardiomyopathies. They were also more likely to be diagnosed with pericarditis than the control group. MRI scans for this group were more likely to show functional…
Read the full article here