Risk may be higher in those with metastatic, haematological, and lung cancer, and following chemotherapy
Even as cancer has over the years become a more treatable disease and cancer survivors have begun to have longer lives, there may be a higher risk that these patients have for cardiovascular diseases (CVD).
A study that looked at Australian and US participants in the Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) trial has reached this conclusion. The study looked at the impact of cancer and cancer treatment on a composite CVD end point comprising hospitalization for heart failure (HHF), myocardial infarction (MI), and stroke.
“Incidence of CVD, including MI, HHF, and ischemic stroke, was increased in older adults with cancer. Aspirin did not impact CVD incidence. Risk may be higher in those with metastatic, hematological, and lung cancer, and following chemotherapy,” the study concluded. The results of the study led by researchers from Monash University, Australia have been published in the journal Cancer. The study suggested increased risk of CVD following chemotherapy and decreased risk in those who had had surgery
India has a high burden of cardiovascular diseases and is already looking at an increase in the incidence of various kinds of cancers with little policy interventions to address either of the two at the preventive level. The National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non-Communicable Diseases aims to address both categories of diseases but has not quite taken off though it was launched 14 years ago in 2010. The plan to screen for breast and cervical cancers in women has been a virtual non-starter.
“The risk of CVD was greatest soon after an incident cancer diagnosis and remained elevated relative to the total cohort and cancer-free risk-set across the 4-year follow-up period. Incidence of CVD was similar between aspirin and placebo groups. The clinical implications of our findings lie in the impact of CVD on mortality and the fact that with appropriate screening and management, cardiovascular risk in cancer survivors can be mitigated,” researchers wrote in the study that was published online last month.
