Prevalence of Preexisting Cardiovascular Disease in Patients With Different Types of Cancer: The Unmet Need for Onco-Cardiology

Abstract

Cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) share many of the same risk factors. Using a cloud-based health care database, we identified patients with malignancies that often require cardiotoxic treatments (leukemia/lymphoma and lung, breast, colon, renal, and head and neck cancers). We report the prevalence of CVDs (coronary artery disease, carotid artery disease, peripheral vascular disease, cerebrovascular disease, and heart failure) in those populations. Overall, CVD prevalences were 33% for hematologic, 43% for lung, 17% for breast, 26% for colon, 35% for renal, and 26% for head and neck cancers. Generally, patients with lung and hematologic malignancies had the highest prevalence of all types of CVDs. Of those with CVD, only half were referred to cardiologists and received guideline-directed medical therapy. The prevalence of CVDs is unexpectedly high and suboptimally managed in patients with cancer. There seems to be an opportunity for onco-cardiologists to fulfill this unmet need and help improve outcomes in patients with cancer and coexisting heart disease.