Many people who survive cancer face new health risks as they grow older. One of the most serious is heart valve disease, a condition where the valves in the heart do not work properly.
New research shows that this condition is common among cancer patients and that treating it can greatly improve their chances of living longer.
These findings were presented at EACVI 2025, a major conference held by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging. Doctors and researchers from across Europe, including the Medical University of Vienna in Austria, worked together on this study.
Thanks to medical advances, more cancer patients are surviving their disease. But as they live longer, they are more likely to develop heart problems. Some cancer treatments, like chemotherapy, can damage the heart. This damage may lead to heart failure or problems with the heart valves.
For example, chemotherapy drugs such as anthracyclines are known to increase the risk of issues like tricuspid and mitral valve regurgitation—where the valves leak and let blood flow the wrong way.
Until now, doctors weren’t sure how common these valve problems were in cancer patients or how best to treat them. To answer this, researchers launched the CESAR study.
The CESAR study included more than 10,000 adult cancer patients who had a heart ultrasound scan (called echocardiography) within a year. The average age of these patients was 66, and nearly half were women.
The results showed that 7.2% of the patients had severe heart valve disease. The most common types were tricuspid regurgitation (3.7%), mitral regurgitation (2.6%), and aortic stenosis (2.2%).
After accounting for age, gender, kidney function, heart strength, and other health factors, the researchers found that patients with severe valve disease had a much higher risk of dying—both from heart problems and from any cause.
But there was good news too. Of those with severe valve disease, about 1 in 5 received surgery or a less invasive procedure to fix the valves. These patients lived much longer than those who didn’t receive treatment. In fact, getting a valve repair or replacement was linked to a 72% lower risk of death during the follow-up period, which lasted almost two years.
Dr. Maximilian Autherith, the lead researcher, explained that while heart valve disease was common in this group of cancer patients, only a small number got treatment. Yet those who did had a significantly better chance of surviving.
He emphasized the importance of regular heart checkups for cancer patients. Many of these heart problems can be spotted with simple scans like echocardiograms. If problems are found, treatment should not be delayed or avoided just because someone has or had cancer. Fixing the valves can make a big difference.
The researchers now plan to look more closely at which cancer treatments cause the most damage to the heart and which valve procedures work best for different types of patients.
This study shines a light on a problem that has often been overlooked in cancer care. It also offers hope—by taking action early, doctors can help cancer survivors live longer and healthier lives.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that a low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
For more information about health, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing higher intake of dairy foods linked to higher prostate cancer risk.
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