Patients With Breast Cancer Have a Higher Risk of Cardiovascular Disease

Patients with breast cancer (BC) have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), according to data being presented at ESMO Breast Cancer 2024, taking place May 15-17 in Berlin, Germany.

“[BC] survival has improved, but cancer therapy-related cardiovascular toxicity remains a concern. While BRCA1/2 genes, which are involved in DNA repair, may offer cardiovascular protection, pathogenic variants in these genes could compromise this defense,” the researchers noted.

This retrospective cohort study assessed CVD incidence in BC patients with BRCA1/2 mutations (n=522) and sporadic BC cases linked to population registers (n=32,632) before and after BC diagnosis. The investigators analyzed cardiovascular risk factors and events, as well as cancer treatments.

The study showed that pre-BC diagnosis, 5.4% of carriers and 16.5% of sporadic patients had cardiovascular risk factors. Post-BC diagnosis, 25.9% of carriers and 33.4% of sporadic patients developed risk factors. The investigators noted that the groups experienced increased cardiovascular risk factors postdiagnosis. Overall, the general female population had lower CVD incidence, indicating higher CVD risk in patients with BC.

“BC patients, whether BRCA1/2 carriers or sporadic cases, face increased CVD risk postdiagnosis. The study underscores the need for cardiovascular surveillance. These findings support current guidelines advocating CVD screening for cancer patients,” the researchers concluded.