Imagine surviving cancer, only to discover that the very drug that saved your life has introduced a new health risk: heart failure.
A recent study conducted by Northwestern Medicine has revealed that young adult cancer survivors, aged between 18 and 39 at the time of diagnosis, face a significantly higher risk (2.6 times) of heart failure when treated with a specific category of chemotherapy called anthracyclines, which damages DNA in cancer cells.
This extensive study, involving 12,879 young adult cancer survivors, is the first to estimate the risk of heart failure among this specific group of patients who received anthracycline-based chemotherapy.
The incidence of heart failure was found to be highest among cancer survivors who had battled leukemia. Furthermore, survivors of kidney, lymphoma, bone, and breast cancer also faced a heightened risk of heart failure when compared to study participants diagnosed with other types of cancer.
Importantly, these particular types of cancer are more likely to be treated with anthracyclines.
Elizabeth Hibler, the corresponding study author and an assistant professor of epidemiology and prevention at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, emphasized the importance of addressing the long-term side effects that cancer survivors may face, such as heart failure and infertility.
She stated, “I’m interested in not only helping people survive their cancer, but once they do, helping them improve their health and longevity as cancer survivors.”
The study’s findings were published in the journal JACC: CardioOncology.
What is particularly concerning is that the average age at which heart failure was diagnosed among these survivors was 32 years old, indicating not only an increased risk but also an early onset of heart failure, according to senior study author Dr. Sadiya Khan.
Dr. Khan, an assistant professor of cardiology and epidemiology at Feinberg and a Northwestern Medicine physician, highlighted that heart failure is often associated with older age but is now recognized as a short-term risk for patients who have successfully battled cancer.
She urged both patients and clinicians to remain vigilant in monitoring symptoms and considering preventive strategies.
Anthracycline chemotherapy, while effective in treating cancer, is being reconsidered by physicians due to its cardiotoxic side effects.
Elizabeth Hibler explained that their goal is to apply these findings to the study of other cancer medications to understand their impact on the heart better. Early detection is vital, as there are treatment options available for heart failure when symptoms are identified promptly.
This study not only emphasizes the connection between cardiovascular disease and cancer but also calls for future research to investigate whether newer cancer treatments may pose a risk of heart failure, even among young individuals.
Additionally, further research is required to understand how shared risk factors may contribute to the risk of both cancer and heart disease.
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The research findings can be found in JACC: CardioOncology.
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