Increased incidence of stroke in women with breast cancer

Increased cardiovascular disease risk among adolescent and young adult survivors of cervical cancer

OBJECTIVE

To investigate the incidence and risk factors of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in adolescent and young adult survivors of cervical cancer.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study used data from the Korean National Health Insurance Service. Adolescent and young adult (AYA) cervical cancer survivors (n=7,803) were matched with non-cancer controls (n=23,327) using 1:3 propensity score matching, and hazard ratios (HRs) for CVD were determined using Cox regression models. Multivariable Cox regressions were used to assess CVD incidence according to cancer treatment and identify risk factors.

RESULTS

A total of 7,803 AYA survivors with cervical cancer were analyzed in this study during a median 8.9 years of follow-up. They developed any CVD with an adjusted HR of 1.47 (95% confidence interval [CI]=1.33-1.62) compared with the non-cancer controls. Those who underwent concurrent chemoradiotherapy had markedly elevated risks of heart failure (subHR=2.66; 95% CI=1.24-5.72), ischemic heart disease (subHR=1.78, 95% CI=1.11-2.86), deep vein thrombosis (subHR=15.32; 95% CI=9.16-25.63), and pulmonary embolism (subHR=14.99; 95% CI=6.31-35.62). Diabetes, hypertension and chemoradiation therapy were identified as potential risk factors that increase the risk of CVD by 1.55-fold, 1.62-fold and 2.64-fold, respectively.

CONCLUSION

These findings indicate a need to pay increased attention to cardiovascular health management in adolescent and young adult cervical cancer survivors, particularly those treated with chemoradiotherapy.

MHIF-MSEA: a novel model of miRNA set enrichment analysis based on multi-source heterogeneous information fusion

Introduction: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of non-coding RNA molecules that play a crucial role in the regulation of diverse biological processes across various organisms. Despite not encoding proteins, miRNAs have been found to have significant implications in the onset and progression of complex human diseases. Methods: Conventional methods for miRNA functional enrichment analysis have certain limitations, and we proposed a novel method called MiRNA Set Enrichment Analysis based on Multi-source Heterogeneous Information Fusion (MHIF-MSEA). Three miRNA similarity networks (miRSN-DA, miRSN-GOA, and miRSN-PPI) were constructed in MHIF-MSEA. These networks were built based on miRNA-disease association, gene ontology (GO) annotation of target genes, and protein-protein interaction of target genes, respectively. These miRNA similarity networks were fused into a single similarity network with the averaging method. This fused network served as the input for the random walk with restart algorithm, which expanded the original miRNA list. Finally, MHIF-MSEA performed enrichment analysis on the expanded list. Results and Discussion: To determine the optimal network fusion approach, three case studies were introduced: colon cancer, breast cancer, and hepatocellular carcinoma. The experimental results revealed that the miRNA-miRNA association network constructed using miRSN-DA and miRSN-GOA exhibited superior performance as the input network. Furthermore, the MHIF-MSEA model performed enrichment analysis on differentially expressed miRNAs in breast cancer and hepatocellular carcinoma. The achieved p-values were 2.17e(-75) and 1.50e(-77), and the hit rates improved by 39.01% and 44.68% compared to traditional enrichment analysis methods, respectively. These results confirm that the MHIF-MSEA method enhances the identification of enriched miRNA sets by leveraging multiple sources of heterogeneous information, leading to improved insights into the functional implications of miRNAs in complex diseases.

Assessing the Impact of Organ Failure and Metastases on Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients: A Prospective Study Based on Utilizing EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR45 Questionnaires in Romania

Breast cancer (BC) significantly impacts the quality of life (QoL) of affected individuals. This study, conducted at Colțea Clinical Hospital, Bucharest, aimed to assess the impact of organ failures and metastases on QoL in breast cancer patients using EORTC QLQ-C30 and EORTC QLQ-BR45 questionnaires and the survival rate to understand the clinical journey and the quality of life status in breast cancer patients. From January 2019 to October 2022, a prospective, observational study surveyed 874 patients, revealing 201 fatalities, 66 refusals, and 607 eligible participants. Results indicated statistically significant differences in various QoL aspects for patients experiencing heart failure, including physical functioning, pain, insomnia, global health status, and overall summary score. Kidney failure exhibited significance in physical functioning for QLQ-C30 and body image, sexual functioning, and endocrine sexual symptoms for QLQ-BR45. Respiratory failure demonstrated significant differences across multiple QoL domains. Patients with bone metastases reported lower physical functioning (p = 0.006) and increased pain (p = 0.002). This study has revealed an overall 5-year life expectancy of 68.8%, with survival rates of 93.8% for Stage I, 86.3% for Stage II, and 77.2% for Stage III breast cancer. Metastatic cancer patients have shown a 35.6% survival rate over 45 months, with a median survival duration of 36 months. A significant limitation of our study was the administration of the questionnaire only once, preventing us from quantifying the impact of specific treatment types on quality of life. This study emphasizes the necessity of using standardized QoL assessments in clinical practice from the initial presentation to ongoing follow-up.

Investigating the association of breast cancer and stroke: A two-sample Mendelian randomization study

We conducted a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) design to evaluate the causal relation between breast cancer and stroke. Genetic variants associated with breast cancer and stroke were both obtained from genome-wide association study summary data. The single nucleotide polymorphisms were selected as instrumental variables. Effect estimates were primarily evaluated using standard inverse variance weighted. Finally, sensitivity analyses were performed for the detection of potential pleiotropy and heterogeneity in the cause-effect evaluation. There was a causal association of ER-positive breast cancer (odds ratio = 0.11, 95% confidence interval: 0.08-0.16, P < .001), and ER-negative breast cancer (odds ratio = 1.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.00-1.07, P = .045) with stroke. MR-egger regression revealed that the cause-effect of ER-positive breast cancer (P < .001) is drove by the directional horizontal pleiotropy, while there was no directional pleiotropy in the cause-effect of ER-negative breast cancer (P = .82). Cochran Q-derived P-value from inverse variance weighted (P = .27) shown that the cause-effect of ER-negative breast cancer on stroke do not need to consider the effect of heterogeneity. In addition, the leave-one-out analysis showed no influential instruments driving the associations, suggesting robust results for all outcomes. The present MR study reveals that ER negative breast cancer increase the risk of stroke.

Risk of cerebrovascular disease after cancer diagnosis in the United States

The risk of subsequent cerebrovascular disease among cancer patients of multiple cancers in the US is not well understood. A total of 3,843,261 cancer patients diagnosed from 1975 to 2018, were included from the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER) database. Standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) and absolute excess risks (AERs) were estimated. The overall cerebrovascular disease SMR was 1.04 (95% CI, 1.03-1.04), and the AER per 10,000 person-years at risk was 0.89. When compared with the US general population, greater cerebrovascular disease risk was correlated with certain cancer sites, American Indian/Alaska Native race, Asian or Pacific Islander race, unmarried marital status, distant metastasis, younger age, and an earlier time of cancer diagnosis. Clinically, more precision and proactive strategies for cerebrovascular disease prevention are required to subgroup of cancer patients with a greater risk of cerebrovascular disease, especially within the first two months.

When Two Maladies Meet: Disease Burden and Pathophysiology of Stroke in Cancer

Stroke and cancer are disabling diseases with an enormous global burden, disproportionately affecting vulnerable populations and low- and middle-income countries. Both these diseases share common risk factors, which warrant concerted attention toward reshaping population health approaches and the conducting of fundamental studies. In this article, an overview of epidemiological trends in the prevalence and burden of cancer and stroke, underlying biological mechanisms and clinical risk factors, and various tools available for risk prediction and prognosis are provided. Finally, future recommendations for research and existing gaps in our understanding of pathophysiology. Further research must investigate the causes that predispose patients to an increased risk of stroke and/or cancer, as well as biomarkers that can be used to predict growing morbidity and mortality.

Is stroke incidence increased in survivors of adult cancers? A systematic review and meta-analysis

PURPOSE

Existing research hints that people living with and beyond cancer are at an increased risk of stroke. However, there is insufficient evidence to appropriately inform guidelines for specific stroke prevention or management for cancer patients. We conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to describe and quantify stroke incidence in people living with and beyond cancer.

METHODS

Medline, CINAHL, and EMBASE were searched for epidemiological studies comparing stroke incidence between cancer and non-cancer patients. Reviewers independently extracted data; random-effects meta-analyses and quality assessment were performed.

RESULTS

Thirty-six studies were narratively synthesised. Meta-analysis was conducted using seven studies. Methodological quality was high for most studies. Study populations were heterogeneous, and the length of follow-up and risk factors varied. There was a variation in risk between different cancer types and according to stroke type: pancreatic (HR 2.85 (95% CI 2.43-3.36), ischaemic) (HR 2.28 (95% CI 1.43-3.63), haemorrhagic); lung (HR 2.33 (95% CI 1.63-3.35), ischaemic) (HR 2.14 (95% CI 1.45-3.15), haemorrhagic); and head and neck (HR 1.54 (95% CI 1.40-1.69), haemorrhagic) cancers were associated with significantly increased incidence of stroke. Risk is highest within the first 6 months of diagnosis. Narrative synthesis indicated that several studies also showed significantly increased incidence of stroke in individuals with colorectal cancer, breast cancer, ovarian cancer, nasopharyngeal cancer, leukaemia, and myeloma, and those who have received radiotherapy for head and neck cancers and platinum-based chemotherapy may also have higher stroke incidence.

CONCLUSIONS

Stroke incidence is significantly increased after diagnosis of certain cancers.

IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS

Cardiovascular risk should be assessed during cancer survivorship care, with attention to modifying shared cancer/cardiovascular risk factors.

Adherence to Guideline-Recommended Cancer Screening in Stroke Survivors: A Nationwide Analysis

OBJECTIVES

Cancer can present as stroke. Several cancer types have established screening guidelines. We investigated adherence to guideline-recommended cancer screening in stroke survivors versus the general population.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We performed a cross-sectional analysis using 2012-2018 data from the CDC's Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) survey. BRFSS is a nationally-representative telephone survey of non-institutionalized Americans that collects data about health conditions and behaviors, including cancer screening. We defined guideline-recommended colorectal, lung, and breast cancer screening based on the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force recommendations. We used survey-specific methods to estimate up-to-date screening rates for those with and without prior stroke. We used logistic regression to estimate the odds of up-to-date screening in stroke survivors compared to those without history of stroke after adjustment for potential confounders.

RESULTS

Among 1,018,440 respondents eligible for colorectal cancer screening, 66% were up-to-date. Among 6,880 respondents eligible for lung cancer screening, 16% were up-to-date. Among 548,434 women eligible for breast cancer screening, 78% were up-to-date. After adjustment for demographics and confounders, stroke survivors were more likely to have up-to-date colorectal cancer screening (OR, 1.10; 95% CI, 1.05-1.16), equally likely to undergo lung cancer screening (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.62-1.59), and less likely to undergo breast cancer screening (OR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.80-0.94).

CONCLUSIONS

In a nationwide analysis, stroke survivors had similar suboptimal adherence to guideline-recommended cancer screening as the general population.

Cardiovascular events and mortality in a population-based cohort initially diagnosed with ductal carcinoma in situ

Background

Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS) patients are usually diagnosed through cancer screening programs, suggesting a healthy user effect. In this population-based cohort, we assessed the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in DCIS patients.

Methods

Using the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, 13,740 women, who were initially diagnosed with DCIS between 2007 and 2013, were analyzed. A control group was matched according to age and the year of diagnosis at a 3:1 ratio (n = 41,220). Follow-up was performed until 2016. Subgroup analysis was performed according to the subsequent diagnosis of invasive breast cancer within 1 year: pure DCIS and DCIS+Invasive group.

Results

DCIS patients were more likely to have underlying diseases, higher incomes, and to live in urban districts compared to the control group. Women diagnosed of DCIS had lower myocardial infarct risk (hazard ratio [HR] 0.64; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.46–0.90) and lower stroke risk (HR 0.77; 95% CI 0.60–0.98) compared to the control group. This trend of lower risk was sustained after adjusting for age, income, residence and comorbidities. The mortality rate was similar between the control group and pure DCIS patients but was higher in the DCIS+Invasive group (HR 1.63; 95% CI 1.34–1.98). However, after adjusting for age, income, residence and comorbidities, mortality did not differ between the control group and DCIS+Invasive group (HR 0.99; 95% CI 0.78–1.24).

Conclusions

DCIS patients were at lower risk for MI and stroke compared to a control group despite a higher rate of comorbidities, which may reflect changes in health behaviour. The importance of managing pre-existing comorbidities along with DCIS treatment should be emphasized.

Supplementary Information

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12885-021-08494-0.

Arterial Thromboembolism in Cancer Patients: A Danish Population-Based Cohort Study

Background

The relation between cancer and arterial thromboembolism (ATE) remains unclear.

Objectives

The purpose of this study was to evaluate ATE risk in cancer patients.

Methods

Danish registries were used to identify all cancer patients between 1997 and 2017, each matched to three cancer-free comparator individuals. ATE was defined as the composite of myocardial infarction, ischemic/unspecified stroke, and peripheral arterial occlusion. A competing risk approach was used to compute cumulative incidences and subdistribution hazard ratios (SHRs). Cause-specific hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using Cox regression. Among cancer patients, mortality risk was estimated in Cox regression analysis by treating ATE as a time-varying exposure. Patients were followed for 12 months.

Results

The study included 458,462 cancer patients and 1,375,386 comparator individuals. In the 6-month period following cancer diagnosis/index date, the cumulative incidence for ATE was 1.50% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.47% to 1.54%) in cancer patients and 0.76% (95% CI: 0.75% to 0.77%) in comparator individuals (HR: 2.36; 95% CI: 2.28 to 2.44). Among cancer patients age <65 years, 65 to 75 years, and >75 years, this was 0.79% (95% CI: 0.74% to 0.83%), 1.61% (95% CI: 1.55% to 1.67%), and 2.30% (95% CI: 2.22% to 2.38%), respectively. Other predictors for ATE among cancer patients were prior ATE (SHR: 2.96; 95% CI: 2.77 to 3.17), distant metastasis (adjusted SHR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.12 to 1.30), and chemotherapy (SHR: 1.47; 95% CI: 1.33 to 1.61). Among cancer patients, ATE was associated with an increased risk of mortality (HR: 3.28; 95% CI: 3.18 to 3.38).

Conclusions

Cancer patients are at increased risk of ATE. Clinicians should be aware of this risk, which is associated with mortality.

Is radiation-induced arteriopathy in long-term breast cancer survivors an underdiagnosed situation?: Critical and pragmatic review of available literature

PURPOSE

Although considered exceptional, radiation-induced arteriopathy in long-term breast cancer survivors involves three main arterial domains in the irradiated volume, namely axillary-subclavian, coronary, and carotid. Stenosis of medium-large arteries is caused by "accelerated" atherosclerosis, particularly beyond 10 years after long-forgotten radiotherapy. The present review aims at summarizing what is known about arteriopathy, as well as the state of the art in terms of diagnosis and therapeutic management.

DIAGNOSIS

Pauci-symptomatic over years, the usual clinical presentation of arteriopathy involves arm pain with coldness due to subacute or critical ischemia (arterial occlusion), wrongly attributed to an exclusive neurological disorder, and more rarely transient ischemic accident or angina. Evaluation of the supra-aortic trunks by computed tomography and/or magnetic resonance angiography visualizes artery lesions, while Doppler ultrasonography in expert hands assesses diagnosis and downstream functional impact. In severe cases, more invasive angiography directly visualizes long irregular arterial stenosis (full-field radiotherapy), allowing accurate prognosis and treatment.

MANAGEMENT

Requires early diagnosis to enable initiation of medical treatment that increases blood flow (aspirin) as soon as moderate stenosis is detected, combined with correction of vascular risk factors. In intermediate cases, these therapeutic measures are completed by revascularization strategies using transluminal angioplasty-stenting (wall thickness). Antifibrotic treatment is useful in advanced cases with combined radiation injuries.

CONCLUSION

In follow-up of long-term breast cancer survivors with node irradiation, myocardial infarction is treated even if radiotherapy is forgotten, while recognition and diagnosis of chronic arm ischemia due to subclavian artery stenosis needs to be improved for appropriate therapeutic management.

Tumor metastasis has a significant relationship with the development of acute ischemic stroke in Chinese cancer patients: a retrospective study

OBJECTIVE

This study was designed to analyze the relationship between tumor metastasis and acute ischemic stroke (AIS) in Chinese cancer patients.

METHODS

This retrospective study included 119 cancer patients with AIS and 152 cancer patients without AIS. Basic information was collected and tumor metastasis status was determined for all patients.

RESULTS

The whole cohort had a median age of 59 (49-69) years with 150 men (55.4%). There were 98 patients (36.2%) with tumor metastasis. Patients with AIS had significantly more males, tumor metastasis, lung cancer, hypertension, diabetes mellitus, higher age, D-dimer, international normalized ratio, prothrombin time, prothrombin activity, and thrombin time, while they had significantly lower levels of hemoglobin, red blood cells, and hematocrit. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, AIS was significantly and positively associated with age, tumor metastasis, D-dimer, and thrombin time. In multivariate Cox regression analysis, tumor metastasis, AIS, D-dimer, thrombin time, and fibrinogen were significantly and positively associated with worse prognosis.

CONCLUSIONS

This study demonstrates that tumor metastasis was positively and independently associated with AIS in Chinese cancer patients, suggesting that tumor metastasis has a significant relationship with the development of AIS. Additionally, tumor metastasis and AIS had negative independent effects on the prognosis of patients.

The impact of cognitive impairment on survival and medication adherence among older women with breast cancer

INTRODUCTION

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of preexisting cognitive impairments on survival and medication adherence, and whether chronic medication adherence mediates or moderates the association between cognitive impairments and mortality in patients with breast cancer.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study of older female patients diagnosed with breast cancer was conducted using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results Medicare Linked Database. We examined the risk of mortality from cancer and non-cancer causes in patients with and without a history of cognitive impairment. In addition, we examined if chronic medication adherence rates differ between these groups of patients and if medication adherence mediates or moderates the association between cognitive impairments and non-cancer mortality.

RESULTS

Mortality from cancer-specific (HR 1.13, 95% CI 1.04-1.23) and non-cancer causes (HR 1.16, 95% CI 1.11-1.21) as well as all-cause mortality (HR 1.30, 95% CI 1.23-1.38) was significantly higher in patients with cognitive impairments compared to those without cognitive impairment. Both groups showed low adherence levels to chronic medication before and after the breast cancer diagnosis. Further analysis did not show that medication adherence mediates or moderates the relationship between cognitive impairment and non-cancer mortality (p value > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

The results of this study indicate that older female patients with cognitive impairments and a breast cancer diagnosis have a heightened risk of cancer-specific and non-cancer mortality. Our findings do not indicate that chronic medication adherence plays a role in the association between a history of cognitive impairment and mortality, it is still necessary to further investigate this issue.

THE RISK OF MULTIPLE INTRACRANIAL ANEURYSM FORMATION IN PATIENTS WITH MALIGNANT DISEASE UNDERGOING RADIATION THERAPY: A CASE REPORT AND LITERATURE REVIEW

Neoplastic etiology of intracranial cerebral aneurysm is rare. Yet, the risk of its development is higher in malignant tumor patients receiving radiation therapy. Due to the possible negative effects of irradiation on intracranial vessel walls, the risk of aneurysm formation after radiation therapy, which is crucial for some types of breast cancer patients, continues to be a matter of debate. The aim of this study was to evaluate the hazard of multiple intracranial aneurysm development in patients with malignant disease undergoing radiation therapy. It is based on literature review and case report of a 77-year-old female patient who underwent surgery for multifocal invasive hormone-receptor positive ductal breast carcinoma of no special type, followed by chemotherapy, adjuvant radiation and hormone therapy. Her comorbidity included arterial hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Six unruptured intracranial aneurysms of different bilateral locations were diagnosed incidentally by multi-slice computed tomography angiography and digital subtraction angiography of cerebral vessels. Due to the bilateral aneurysm multiplicity, tumor characteristics and prognosis, comorbidity and relatively advanced age, the patient was not selected for active endovascular or microsurgical aneurysm treatment but only periodical clinical, oncologic and radiological follow-up was advised. In conclusion, the risk of multiple intracranial aneurysm formation in patients with breast cancer undergoing radiation therapy is low, but still possible. Long-term follow-up and regular cerebral angiographic check-up studies are necessary in selected malignant patients to decrease such a risk and to evade the worst outcome associated with aneurysm rupture.

No Increased Cardiac Mortality or Morbidity of Radiation Therapy in Breast Cancer Patients After Breast-Conserving Surgery: 20-Year Follow-up of the Randomized SweBCGRT Trial

PURPOSE

Radiation therapy (RT) after breast-conserving surgery reduces locoregional recurrences and improves survival but may cause late side effects. The main purpose of this paper was to investigate long-term side effects after whole breast RT in a randomized clinical trial initiated in 1991 and to report dose-volume data based on individual 3-dimensional treatment plans for organs at risk.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

The trial included 1187 patients with T1-2 N0 breast cancer randomized to postoperative tangential whole breast RT or no further treatment. The prescription dose to the clinical target volume was 48 to 54 Gy. We present 20-year follow-up on survival, cause of death, morbidity, and later malignancies. For a cohort of patients (n = 157) with accessible computed tomography-based 3-dimensional treatment plans in Dicom-RT format, dose-volume descriptors for organs at risk were derived. In addition, these were compared with dose-volume data for a cohort of patients treated with contemporary RT techniques.

RESULTS

The cumulative incidence of cardiac mortality was 12.4% in the control group and 13.0% in the RT group (P = .8). There was an increase in stroke mortality: 3.4% in the control group versus 6.7% in the RT group (P = .018). Incidences of contralateral breast cancer and lung cancer were similar between groups. The median D_mean (range) heart dose for left-sided treatments was 3.0 Gy (1.1-8.1), and the corresponding value for patients treated in 2017 was 1.5 Gy (0.4-6.0).

CONCLUSIONS

In this trial, serious late side effects of whole breast RT were limited and less than previously reported in large meta-analyses. We observed no increase in cardiac mortality in irradiated patients. Doses to the heart were a median D_mean of 3.0 Gy for left-sided RT. The observed increase in stroke mortality may partly be secondary to cardiac side effects, complications to anticoagulant treatment, or to chance, rather than a direct side effect of tangential whole breast irradiation.

Frequency of arterial thromboembolism in populations with malignancies: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Populations with cancer have been documented to have a greater risk of developing venous thromboembolism. The frequency of arterial thromboembolism (ATE) in cancer patients is unclear; while evidence examining this question has grown, it has yet to be systematically summarized. This study aims to systematically review the frequency of ATE in patients with cancer.

METHODS

A search of MEDLINE, Embase, CENTRAL, and Web of Science from inception to 28 January, 2019 was conducted. Two independent reviewers screened for eligible studies. Studies comparing the frequency of ATE between populations with cancer and controls were included while studies examining the frequency of ATE in the context of cancer therapies (e.g., chemotherapy, radiotherapy) were excluded. Data corresponding to the follow-up times closest to diagnosis and 1-year follow-up were extracted. Results Twelve retrospective cohort studies involving 1,260,237 patients were included. Ten studies concluded increased ATE risk in populations with malignancies. At the time point closest to diagnosis, patients with bladder, breast, colorectal, gastric, lung, non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and pancreatic cancers were at an increased risk. This risk diminished around 1 year after diagnosis except in patients with lung or pancreatic cancers. High heterogeneity within and between studies precluded meta-analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with cancer appear to have an increased risk of developing ATE, with the highest risk immediately after diagnosis and in patients with lung and pancreatic cancers. Better information on the attribu01 risk will require prospective studies that record comprehensive patient characteristics and interventions.

Stroke and breast cancer in the United States during 2007-2017

Introduction

The main purpose of this work is to study the malignant neoplasms of the breast and the incidence of strokes in the United States and to find not only statistically significant predictors for cancer, but also a possible association between breast cancer and stroke.

Material and methods

The statistical methods used to derive the results of this work are χ² and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) tests, in order to check the statistical significance of breast cancer in relation to socio-economic factors of patients. In addition, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used with the odds ratio (OR) to find statistically significant prognostic factors for breast cancer. The Pearson correlation coefficient was used to find the relationship between breast cancer and stroke.

Results

According to multiple logistic regression analysis, widowed women have 11 times higher risk developing breast cancer, while white women who are unemployed but have worked previously have two times higher risk for the occurrence of this type of cancer. In addition, a statistically significant relationship was found between the number of cases of breast cancer and stroke.

Conclusions

Our results describe for the first time the importance of deprivation (of work and partner) as a primary prognostic risk factor for cancer. Moreover, we found a link between breast cancer diagnosis and stroke.

Intracranial aneurysms formation after radiotherapy for head and neck cancer: a 10-year nationwide follow-up study

Background

Intracranial aneurysms after radiotherapy (RT) have previously been reported. However, the majority of studies were case reports. Therefore, we performed a nationwide study to explore the risk of radiation-induced intracranial aneurysms.

Methods

This study included patients diagnosed with head and neck cancer (ICD9: 140–149, 161). Intracranial aneurysms formation was identified using the following ICD9 codes: nonruptured cerebral aneurysm (ICD9:4373), aneurysm clipping (ICD9:3951). Patients who did not receive curative treatment and those with intracranial aneurysms before the diagnosis of head and neck cancer were excluded.

Results

In total, 70,691 patients were included in the final analysis; they were categorized into the following three groups: nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC) with RT, non-NPC with RT, and non-NPC without RT. Patients in the NPC with RT group had the highest risk of developing intracranial aneurysms (hazard ratio (HR) 2.57; P <  0.001). In addition, hypertension was also a risk factor of developing intracranial aneurysms (HR 2.14; P <  0.01). The mean time interval from cancer diagnosis to intracranial aneurysm formation in the NPC with RT group was 4.3 ± 3.1 years.

Conclusions

Compared with the non-NPC with RT and the non-NPC without RT groups, patients with NPC who received RT had a higher risk of developing intracranial aneurysms.

Clinical presentation, risk factors and outcome of central nervous system metastasis vs stroke in cancer patients

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Cancer and stroke are the second and third causes of death worldwide; brain metastases (BM) occur in one third of patients with cancer, any neurologic deficit in these population always prompts the clinician to discard metastases for their presence carries a bad outcome. Both might share clinical presentation and differences in their outcome are not entirely known. The aim was to compare risk factors, clinical presentation, and outcome of cancer patients with BM vs stroke.

METHODS

A descriptive study with prospectively acquired data from a cancer referral center included patients seen at the neuro-oncologic unit from March 2011 to February 2018 with confirmed cancer who had BM or stroke.

RESULTS

Six hundred and thirteen BM patients were compared with 268 with stroke and cancer. Demographic factors, cancer type, risk factors, clinical presentation, and outcome are presented. Median overall survival in months for those with any stroke was 15 (95%confidence interval [CI] 8.6-21.4)-5 (95%CI 0.12.4) for hemorrhagic stroke and 22 (95%CI 13.4-30.6) in the ischemic group-and for those with BM 12 (95%CI 10.4-13.6). Hemorrhagic stroke commonly found in stroke patients as well as focal motor weakness, aphasia, and altered mental status. BM was more common in breast and lung cancer with headache, visual complaint, and/or vertigo.

CONCLUSION

Survival in cancer patients with BM is not that different than those with stroke, but clinical presentation and risk factors were found different.

The risk of cardiovascular disease following breast cancer by Framingham risk score

OBJECTIVES

This study evaluates the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) following breast cancer, accounting for baseline CVD risk.

METHODS

Within the EPIC-NL (Dutch part of the European Prospective Investigation into Nutrition and Cancer) cohort, 1103 women were diagnosed with breast cancer. For every breast cancer patient, 3-4 women without breast cancer (n = 4328) were selected matched for age, year, and time since cohort enrollment. Based on CVD risk factors at cohort enrollment, 10-year risk of CVD was calculated and categorized: low (< 10%), intermediate (10-20%), high (> 20%). Cox proportional hazard models assessed the risk of CVD events (hospitalization or mortality) and CVD mortality of women with versus without breast cancer, adjusted for baseline CVD risk.

RESULTS

After median follow-up of 5 and 6 years, 92 (8.3%) and 325 (7.5%) CVD events occurred in women with and without breast cancer, respectively. In the low CVD risk group, women with breast cancer had 1.44 (95% CI 1.00-2.06) times higher risk of CVD events than women without breast cancer. In the intermediate and high CVD risk categories, risk of CVD events was similar in women with and without breast cancer. Overall, women with breast cancer had 1.77 (95% CI 1.10-2.86) times higher risk of CVD mortality than women without breast cancer.

CONCLUSIONS

Among women with low CVD risk, women with breast cancer have a higher risk of CVD event than women without breast cancer. Overall, women with breast cancer have a higher risk of CVD mortality than women without breast cancer.

Risk of Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Strokes in Occult and Manifest Cancers

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE

Manifest cancer is associated with increased risk of stroke. The risk of stroke in people with occult cancer in comparison to the risk in the background population without cancer has not been investigated. Smoking is a risk factor for both cancer and stroke, but the role of smoking for the risk of stroke in cancer has not been investigated.

METHODS

We identified all incident cases of cancer in Denmark 2003 to 2012 (n=264.376) from the Danish Cancer Registry. Each person with cancer was matched by age, sex, and income with 10 randomly selected persons without cancer at index date (n=2.571.260). Linking data to the Danish Stroke Registry, we studied risk of ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke the year before (occult cancer) and after cancer diagnosis was established in the Danish Stroke Registry (manifest cancer) and stratified into the 15 most common cancer types related (lung, colon, bladder, rectum, pancreas, kidney, stomach, and head and neck cancer) and unrelated (non-Hodgkin lymphoma, breast, prostate, melanoma, central nervous system, ovary and endometrial) to smoking.

RESULTS

Risk of ischemic/hemorrhagic stroke was increased for both occult (relative risk, 1.75/2.00) and manifest cancers (relative risk, 1.30/1.41). For occult cancer, risk of ischemic stroke was increased for all of the smoking-related cancers, but among cancers unrelated to smoking, only lymphoma, central nervous system, and endometrial cancer were associated with increased risk of stroke; breast, prostate, melanoma, and ovarian cancers were not. For occult cancer, risk of hemorrhagic stroke was generally increased for smoking-related cancers while not for cancers unrelated to smoking. For manifest cancer, risk of ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke was generally increased for cancers related to smoking while not for cancers unrelated to smoking.

CONCLUSIONS

Cancer, occult and manifest, is associated with increased risks for stroke. The increased risk is linked mainly to cancers related to smoking.

Ischemic stroke in cancer patients: A review of an underappreciated pathology

Currently 1 in 10 patients with ischemic stroke have comorbid cancer, and this frequency is expected to increase with continued advances in cancer therapeutics prolonging median survival. Well known for its association with venous thrombosis, cancer has recently emerged as a significant risk factor for arterial thromboembolism, including stroke; however, the underlying mechanisms are uncertain. In addition, the optimal strategies to prevent and acutely treat stroke in cancer patients are yet to be established. This review summarizes the current evidence on ischemic stroke risk, biomarkers, pathophysiology, treatments, and prognosis in cancer patients, emphasizing knowledge gaps and the potential strategies to address them. Ann Neurol 2018;83:873-883.

CHA2DS2-VASc score and risk of thromboembolism and bleeding in patients with atrial fibrillation and recent cancer

Background

Cancer may influence the risk of thromboembolism and bleeding associated with the CHA2DS2-VASc score. We examined the risk of thromboembolism and bleeding associated with the CHA2DS2-VASc score in atrial fibrillation patients with and without recent cancer.

Methods and results

Using nationwide registers all patients diagnosed with atrial fibrillation from 2000 to 2015 and not on oral anticoagulation or heparin therapy were included and followed for 2 years. Recent cancer was defined by a cancer diagnosis 5 years or fewer earlier. Risks of thromboembolism and bleeding were estimated in cumulative incidence curves and Cox regression models. We included 122,053 patients with incident atrial fibrillation, 12,014 (10%) had recent cancer. The 2-year cumulative incidence of thromboembolism and bleeding in patients with versus without recent cancer was 1.7% (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.5–2.8) and 4.3% (95% CI 2.4–6.2) versus 1.2% (95% CI 0.9–1.5) and 1.7% (95% CI 1.4–2.0) for CHA2DS2-VASc score 0; 3.2% (95%CI 2.2-4.3) and 4.4% (95%CI 3.2-5.6) versus 1.8% (95%CI 1.6-2.1) and 3.0% (95% CI 2.7–3.3) for CHA2DS2-VASc score 1; and 7.1% (95% CI 6.6–7.7) and 6.8% (95% CI 6.3–7.2) versus 10.9% (95% CI 10.7–11.1) and 6.2% (95% CI 6.1–6.4) for CHA2DS2-VASc score 2 or greater. Although the CHA2DS2-VASc score was associated with thromboembolism and bleeding in both patients with and without cancer, the association differed between the groups for thromboembolism (test for interaction, p < 0.001) and bleeding (test for interaction, p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The association of the CHA2DS2-VASc score and risk of thromboembolism and bleeding differed between atrial fibrillation patients with and without recent cancer. Therefore, the CHA2DS2-VASc score should be used with caution in patients with recent cancer.

Risk of Arterial Thromboembolism in Patients With Cancer

BACKGROUND

The risk of arterial thromboembolism in patients with cancer is incompletely understood.

OBJECTIVES

The authors aimed to better define this epidemiological relationship, including the effects of cancer stage.

METHODS

Using the Surveillance Epidemiology and End Results-Medicare linked database, the authors identified patients with a new primary diagnosis of breast, lung, prostate, colorectal, bladder, pancreatic, or gastric cancer or non-Hodgkin lymphoma from 2002 to 2011. They were individually matched by demographics and comorbidities to a Medicare enrollee without cancer, and each pair was followed through 2012. Validated diagnosis codes were used to identify arterial thromboembolism, defined as myocardial infarction or ischemic stroke. Cumulative incidence rates were calculated using competing risk survival statistics. Cox hazards analysis was used to compare rates between groups at discrete time points.

RESULTS

The authors identified 279,719 pairs of patients with cancer and matched control patients. The 6-month cumulative incidence of arterial thromboembolism was 4.7% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 4.6% to 4.8%) in patients with cancer compared with 2.2% (95% CI: 2.1% to 2.2%) in control patients (hazard ratio [HR]: 2.2; 95% CI: 2.1 to 2.3). The 6-month cumulative incidence of myocardial infarction was 2.0% (95% CI: 1.9% to 2.0%) in patients with cancer compared with 0.7% (95% CI: 0.6% to 0.7%) in control patients (HR: 2.9; 95% CI: 2.8 to 3.1). The 6-month cumulative incidence of ischemic stroke was 3.0% (95% CI: 2.9% to 3.1%) in patients with cancer compared with 1.6% (95% CI: 1.6% to 1.7%) in control patients (HR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.8 to 2.0). Excess risk varied by cancer type (greatest for lung), correlated with cancer stage, and generally had resolved by 1 year.

CONCLUSIONS

Patients with incident cancer face a substantially increased short-term risk of arterial thromboembolism.

Radiation dose distribution in coronary arteries in breast cancer radiotherapy

BACKGROUND

Women irradiated for left-sided breast cancer (BC) have an increased risk of coronary artery disease compared to women with right-sided BC. We describe the distribution of radiation dose in segments of coronary arteries in women receiving adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) for left- or right-sided BC.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Fifteen women with BC, seven left-sided and eight right-sided, who had received three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3DCRT), constituted the study base. The heart and the segments of the coronary arteries were defined as separate organs at risk (OAR), and the mean and maximum radiation doses were calculated for each OAR.

RESULTS

In women with left-sided BC, irrespective of if regional lymph node RT was given or not, maximum dose in mid and distal left anterior descending artery (mdLAD) was approximately 50 Gy in 6/7 patients, whereas women with right-sided BC mainly received low doses of radiation. In women with left-sided BC, 6/7 patients had substantially higher mean dose to the distal LAD than to the heart, ranging from 30 to 55 Gy and 3 to13 Gy, respectively.

CONCLUSION

We found a pronounced difference of radiation dose distribution in the coronary arteries between women with left- and right-sided BC. Women with left-sided BC had almost full treatment dose in parts of mdLAD, regardless of if regional lymph node irradiation was given or not, while women with right-sided BC mainly received low doses to the coronary arteries.

Symptomatic Atherosclerotic Disease and Decreased Risk of Cancer-Specific Mortality: A Prospective, Population-Based Study (NEDICES)

The few studies that have assessed the association between symptomatic atherosclerotic disease and risk of cancer have had conflicting results. In addition, these studies ascertained participants either from treatment settings (ie, service-based studies) or by using a records linkage system (ie, medical records of patients evaluated at clinics or hospitals) and, therefore, were prone to selection bias. Our purpose was to estimate the risk of cancer mortality in a large population-based sample of elderly people, comparing participants with symptomatic atherosclerotic disease (atherosclerotic stroke and coronary disease) to their counterparts without symptomatic atherosclerotic disease (ie, controls) in the same population.In this population-based, prospective study (Neurological Disorders of Central Spain, NEDICES), 5262 elderly community-dwelling participants with and without symptomatic atherosclerotic disease were identified and followed for a median of 12.1 years, after which the death certificates of those who died were reviewed.A total of 2701 (53.3%) of 5262 participants died, including 314 (68.6%) of 458 participants with symptomatic atherosclerotic disease and 2387 (49.7%) of 4804 controls. Cancer mortality was reported significantly less often in those with symptomatic atherosclerotic disease (15.6%) than in controls (25.6%) (P < 0.001). In an unadjusted Cox model, risk of cancer-specific mortality was decreased in participants with symptomatic atherosclerotic disease (HR = 0.74, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.55-0.98, P = 0.04) vs. those without symptomatic atherosclerotic disease (reference group). In an adjusted Cox model, HR = 0.58; 95% CI, 0.38-0.89; P = 0.01.This population-based, prospective study suggests that there is an inverse association between symptomatic atherosclerotic disease and risk of cancer mortality.

Association between incident cancer and subsequent stroke

OBJECTIVE

A study was undertaken to examine the association between incident cancer and the subsequent risk of stroke.

METHODS

Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results-Medicare linked database, we identified patients with a new primary diagnosis of breast, colorectal, lung, pancreatic, or prostate cancer from 2001 through 2007. These patients were individually matched by age, sex, race, registry, and medical comorbidities to a group of Medicare enrollees without cancer, and each pair was followed through 2009. Validated diagnosis codes were used to identify a primary outcome of stroke. Cumulative incidence rates were calculated using competing risk survival statistics.

RESULTS

Among 327,389 pairs of cancer patients and matched controls, the 3-month cumulative incidence of stroke was generally higher in patients with cancer. Cumulative incidence rates were 5.1% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 4.9-5.2%) in patients with lung cancer compared to 1.2% (95% CI = 1.2-1.3%) in controls (p < 0.001), 3.4% (95% CI = 3.1-3.6%) in patients with pancreatic cancer compared to 1.3% (95% CI = 1.1-1.5%) in controls (p < 0.001), 3.3% (95% CI = 3.2-3.4%) in patients with colorectal cancer compared to 1.3% (95% CI = 1.2-1.4%) in controls (p < 0.001), 1.5% (95% CI = 1.4-1.6%) in patients with breast cancer compared to 1.1% (95% CI = 1.0-1.2%) in controls (p < 0.001), and 1.2% (95% CI = 1.1-1.3%) in patients with prostate cancer compared to 1.1% (95% CI = 1.0-1.2%) in controls (p = 0.085). Excess risks attenuated over time and were generally no longer present beyond 1 year.

INTERPRETATION

Incident cancer is associated with an increased short-term risk of stroke. This risk appears highest with lung, pancreatic, and colorectal cancers.

Screening mammography--early detection or over-diagnosis? Contribution from Australian data

OBJECTIVE

The aim of this review was to examine the benefits and harms of organized screening mammography, with particular reference to data from Australia.

METHODS

Published literature was examined relating to the impact of screening mammography on breast cancer-specific mortality, the trends in use of adjuvant treatments for breast cancer, the effectiveness of adjuvant treatment in terms of breast cancer-specific mortality, the impact of breast cancer treatment on non-breast cancer mortality and the magnitude of the issue of over-diagnosis.

RESULTS

Most of the recent reduction in breast cancer-specific mortality is explained by use of adjuvant therapy rather than screening mammography. The impact of screening mammography in countries where women present with early disease and have access to adjuvant treatment is modest. There is a wide range of estimates for the magnitude of over-diagnosis. All-cause mortality (rather than breast cancer-specific mortality) should be used when assessing the impact of mammographic screening as otherwise the harm of breast cancer treatment in women who are over-diagnosed will be missed.

CONCLUSIONS

The benefits and harms of screening mammography are finely balanced. The impact of screening mammography is at best neutral but may result in overall harm. Women should be informed of the issue of over-diagnosis. It is time to review whether organized mammographic screening programs should continue.

Risk of ischemic stroke in patients with ovarian cancer: a nationwide population-based study

BACKGROUND

Cancer patients are at risk of thromboembolism. However, studies investigating the relationship between ovarian cancer and ischemic stroke are lacking. The objectives of this study were to assess the association between ovarian cancer and ischemic stroke, and to determine the predictive risk factors.

METHODS

Ovarian cancer patients aged 20 years and older without antecedent cerebrovascular events and who were followed up for more than 1 year between 1 January 2003 and 31 December 2011 were recruited from the Taiwan National Health Insurance database. Hazard ratios (HRs) of stroke risk for ovarian cancer patients compared with an age- and comorbidity-matched cohort were calculated by Cox proportional regression analysis. The difference in cumulative ischemic stroke incidence between ovarian cancer patients and the matched cohort was analyzed with the Kaplan-Meier method and tested with the log-rank test.

RESULTS

Each cohort (ovarian cancer and matched cohort) consisted of 8,810 individuals, with a median age of 49 years. After a median follow-up of 2.68 and 3.85 years, respectively, the ischemic stroke incidence was 1.38-fold higher in the ovarian cancer cohort than in the comparison cohort (9.4 versus 6.8 per 1,000 person-years), with an age- and comorbidity-adjusted HR of 1.49 (P <0.001). The ischemic stroke risk imposed by ovarian cancer was more prominent in patients under 50 years old (HR 2.28; P <0.001) compared with patients 50 years and older (HR 1.33; P = 0.005). Significant risk factors predicting stroke development were age 50 years and older (HR 2.21; P <0.001), hypertension (HR 1.84; P <0.001), diabetes mellitus (HR 1.71; P <0.001), and treatment with chemotherapy (HR 1.45; P = 0.017), especially platinum-based regimens.

CONCLUSIONS

Ovarian cancer patients were at an increased risk of developing ischemic stroke. Age, hypertension, diabetes, and chemotherapy treatment were independent risk factors.

Radiation-induced carotid artery atherosclerosis

PURPOSE

Carotid arteries frequently receive significant doses of radiation as collateral structures in the treatment of malignant diseases. Vascular injury following treatment may result in carotid artery stenosis (CAS) and increased risk of stroke and transient ischaemic attack (TIA). This systematic review examines the effect of radiotherapy (RT) on the carotid arteries, looking at the incidence of stroke in patients receiving neck radiotherapy. In addition, we consider possible surrogate endpoints such as CAS and carotid intima-medial thickness (CIMT) and summarise the evidence for radiation-induced carotid atherosclerosis.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

From 853 references, 34 articles met the criteria for inclusion in this systematic review. These papers described 9 studies investigating the incidence of stroke/TIA in irradiated patients, 11 looking at CAS, and 14 examining CIMT.

RESULTS

The majority of studies utilised suboptimally-matched controls for each endpoint. The relative risk of stroke in irradiated patients ranged from 1.12 in patients with breast cancer to 5.6 in patients treated for head and neck cancer. The prevalence of CAS was increased by 16-55%, with the more modest increase seen in a study using matched controls. CIMT was increased in irradiated carotid arteries by 18-40%. Only two matched-control studies demonstrated a significant increase in CIMT of 36% and 22% (p=0.003 and <0.001, respectively). Early prospective data demonstrated a significant increase in CIMT in irradiated arteries at 1 and 2 years after RT (p<0.001 and <0.01, respectively).

CONCLUSIONS

The incidence of stroke was significantly increased in patients receiving RT to the neck. There was a consistent difference in CAS and CIMT between irradiated and unirradiated carotid arteries. Future studies should optimise control groups.

Increased risk of ischemic stroke in cervical cancer patients: a nationwide population-based study

Background

Increased risk of ischemic stroke has been validated for several cancers, but limited study evaluated this risk in cervical cancer patients. Our study aimed to evaluate the risk of ischemic stroke in cervical cancer patients.

Methods

The study analyzed data from the 2003 to 2008 National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD) provided by the National Health Research Institutes in Taiwan. Totally, 893 cervical cancer patients after radiotherapy and 1786 appendectomy patients were eligible. The Kaplan-Meier method and the Cox proportional hazards model were used to assess the risk of ischemic stroke.

Results

The 5-year cumulative risk of ischemic stroke was significantly higher for the cervical cancer group than for the control group (7.8% vs 5.1%; p <0.005). The risk of stroke was higher in younger (age <51 years) than in older (age ≥51 years) cervical cancer patients (HR = 2.73, p = 0.04; HR = 1.37, p = 0.07) and in patients with more than two comorbid risk factors (5 years cumulative stroke rate of two comorbidities: 15% compared to no comorbidities: 4%).

Conclusions

These study demonstrated cervical cancer patients had a higher risk of ischemic stroke than the general population, especially in younger patients. Strategies to reduce this risk should be assessed.

Death causes in breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Due to improved outcomes in breast cancer (BCa), the proportion of affected women dying of other causes has increased. Thus, a better survival of BCa requires knowledge of other causes of death.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Data on the population, cancers, and causes of death were gathered from the nationwide Swedish Family-Cancer Database, enrolling ∼3.68 million Swedish women. A Cox regression model, comparing BCa patients against all other women, was applied. Cause-of-death-specific hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated for both underlying and multiple causes of death.

RESULTS

Among 641 000 deaths from 1987 to 2006, 48,000 were BCa patients. For underlying causes except BCa, the highest cause-specific HRs were found for diseases of pulmonary circulation {1.51 [95% confidence interval (CI) 1.36-1.68]}, suicide [1.39 (1.19-1.63)], and heart failure [1.29 (1.22-1.37)]. For specific multiple causes, the highest ratios were found for external causes [1.86 (1.80-1.91)] and gastrointestinal disease [1.68 (1.62-1.74)].

CONCLUSIONS

Diagnosis of BCa is associated with increased risks of dying of various causes, including external causes, heart failure, diseases of pulmonary circulation, and gastrointestinal disease. The study fulfills the gap in knowledge of death causes in BCa patients and suggests to draw more attention to comorbidities.

ICRP publication 118: ICRP statement on tissue reactions and early and late effects of radiation in normal tissues and organs--threshold doses for tissue reactions in a radiation protection context

This report provides a review of early and late effects of radiation in normal tissues and organs with respect to radiation protection. It was instigated following a recommendation in Publication 103 (ICRP, 2007), and it provides updated estimates of 'practical' threshold doses for tissue injury defined at the level of 1% incidence. Estimates are given for morbidity and mortality endpoints in all organ systems following acute, fractionated, or chronic exposure. The organ systems comprise the haematopoietic, immune, reproductive, circulatory, respiratory, musculoskeletal, endocrine, and nervous systems; the digestive and urinary tracts; the skin; and the eye. Particular attention is paid to circulatory disease and cataracts because of recent evidence of higher incidences of injury than expected after lower doses; hence, threshold doses appear to be lower than previously considered. This is largely because of the increasing incidences with increasing times after exposure. In the context of protection, it is the threshold doses for very long follow-up times that are the most relevant for workers and the public; for example, the atomic bomb survivors with 40-50years of follow-up. Radiotherapy data generally apply for shorter follow-up times because of competing causes of death in cancer patients, and hence the risks of radiation-induced circulatory disease at those earlier times are lower. A variety of biological response modifiers have been used to help reduce late reactions in many tissues. These include antioxidants, radical scavengers, inhibitors of apoptosis, anti-inflammatory drugs, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, growth factors, and cytokines. In many cases, these give dose modification factors of 1.1-1.2, and in a few cases 1.5-2, indicating the potential for increasing threshold doses in known exposure cases. In contrast, there are agents that enhance radiation responses, notably other cytotoxic agents such as antimetabolites, alkylating agents, anti-angiogenic drugs, and antibiotics, as well as genetic and comorbidity factors. Most tissues show a sparing effect of dose fractionation, so that total doses for a given endpoint are higher if the dose is fractionated rather than when given as a single dose. However, for reactions manifesting very late after low total doses, particularly for cataracts and circulatory disease, it appears that the rate of dose delivery does not modify the low incidence. This implies that the injury in these cases and at these low dose levels is caused by single-hit irreparable-type events. For these two tissues, a threshold dose of 0.5Gy is proposed herein for practical purposes, irrespective of the rate of dose delivery, and future studies may elucidate this judgement further.

Distribution of coronary artery stenosis after radiation for breast cancer

PURPOSE

To study distribution of coronary artery stenosis among patients with breast cancer (BC) and to assess correlation between radiotherapy (RT) and location of stenosis.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

A Swedish BC cohort diagnosed from 1970 to 2003 was linked to registers of coronary angiography from 1990 to 2004, which yielded 199 patients. Stenoses of the coronary arteries were graded from 0 to 5, where 0 indicated a normal vessel and 5 indicated occlusion. Two hotspot areas for radiation were defined: proximal right coronary artery (prox RCA), mid and distal left anterior descending artery and distal diagonal (mdLAD + dD). RT regimens were categorized as high or low risk of irradiating the hotspot areas. Left breast/chest wall was considered high risk for mdLAD + dD; left internal mammary chain (IMC), high risk for prox RCA and mdLAD + dD from 1970 to 1995 and thereafter solely for mdLAD + dD; and right IMC, high risk for prox RCA. Other RT targets and no RT were considered low risk. Results were expressed in odds ratios (ORs) and 95% CIs.

RESULTS

For irradiated left- versus right-sided BC, the OR for grade 3 to 5 stenosis in mdLAD + dD was 4.38 (95% CI, 1.64 to 11.7), and for grade 4 to 5 stenosis, the OR was 7.22 (95% CI, 1.64 to 31.8). For high-risk RT versus low-risk or no RT, the OR for grade 3 to 5 stenosis in hotspot areas was 1.90 (95% CI, 1.11 to 3.24).

CONCLUSION

An increase of stenosis in mdLAD + dD in irradiated left-sided BC and an association between high-risk RT and stenosis in hotspot areas for radiation indicate a direct link between radiation and location of coronary stenoses.

Long-term safety of radiotherapy and breast cancer laterality in older survivors

BACKGROUND

Although adjuvant radiotherapy (RT) following surgery for breast cancer improves overall survival, controversy exists about its long-term adverse impact on cardiovascular health in older survivors.

AIM

To determine whether incident cardiovascular disease (CVD) is associated with RT and whether tumor laterality modifies this association.

METHODS

Women aged 65+ years diagnosed with stage I and II breast cancer between 1990 and 1994 were identified from three health plans. Women were followed through CVD outcomes, health plan disenrollment, death, or study end (December 31, 2004). The main independent variable was RT use. Adjusted HRs and 95% CIs were estimated using Cox proportional hazards models with time-dependent tamoxifen and RT use status. We adjusted for age, race, stage, estrogen receptor/progesterone receptor, hypertension, and diabetes.

RESULTS

In the full cohort (N = 806), RT was not associated with greater risk of CVD (maximum follow-up was 14 years). However, within the RT-exposed group (N = 340), women treated for left-side breast cancer had a significant increased risk of CVD outcomes (HR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.06-2.21) compared with women with right-sided tumors.

CONCLUSION

Laterality is critical to understanding the effect of RT on CVD. Studies of more contemporary cohorts of women treated with RT should incorporate this variable to determine whether the risk persists with refinements in the dosing and delivery of RT.

IMPACT

As some irradiation to the heart is unavoidable even with refined modern RT techniques, continued effort is required to minimize such exposures, especially in older women with left-sided tumors.

Effect of nodal irradiation and fraction size on cardiac and cerebrovascular mortality in women with breast cancer treated with local and locoregional radiotherapy

PURPOSE

To determine whether the adjuvant breast cancer radiation volume or fraction size (>2 Gy vs. ≤2 Gy) affected the risk of fatal cardiac or cerebrovascular (CCV) events and to determine whether the addition of regional radiotherapy (RT) increased the risk of fatal cerebrovascular events compared with breast/chest wall RT alone.

METHODS AND MATERIALS

Overall survival was compared for patients receiving breast/chest wall RT alone or breast/chest wall plus regional node RT (BRCW+NRT) in a population-based cohort of women with early-stage breast cancer who had undergone RT between 1990 and 1996. The effect of laterality, age, systemic therapy, radiation volume, and fraction size on the risk of fatal CCV events was analyzed using a competing risk method.

RESULTS

A total of 4,929 women underwent adjuvant RT. The median follow-up was 11.7 years. BRCW+NRT was associated with an increased risk of CCV death at 12 years (5% for BRCW+NRT vs. 3.5% for breast/chest wall RT alone; p = .004), but the fraction size was not (3.92% for a fraction size >2 Gy vs. 3.54% for a fraction size <2 Gy; p = .83). The 12-year absolute risk of death from stroke alone did not differ for either radiation volume (1.17% for BRCW+NRT vs. 0.8% for breast/chest wall RT alone; p = .22) or fraction size (p = .59).

CONCLUSION

Regional RT was associated with a small (1.5% at 12 years), but statistically significant, increased risk of death from a CCV event. The addition of regional RT did not significantly increase the risk of death from stroke, although the number of events was small. An increased fraction size was not significantly associated with a greater risk of fatal CCV events. These data support the continued use of hypofractionated adjuvant regional RT.

Effects of external irradiation of the neck region on intima media thickness of the common carotid artery

BACKGROUND

Several studies have shown that common carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) is increased after radiotherapy (RT) to the head and neck. However, further studies are needed to define the exact mechanism of radiation-induced injury in large vessels, investigate the relationship between radiation dose and large vessel injury and evaluate the rate of progress of atherosclerosis in irradiated vessels.

OBJECTIVES

To investigate whether external irradiation to the carotid area has any effect on IMT of the common carotid artery in a group of patients who received RT vs control group matched for age, gender and race.

METHODS

We studied 19 patients (10 male; 47.8 +/- 17.4 years) during a 5-month period (January 2009-July 2009); they had completed RT with a mean of 2.9 years before (range: 1 month-6 years) The mean radiation dose to the neck in the irradiated patients was 41.2 +/- 15.6 Gy (range: 25-70 Gy). Common carotid IMT was measured with echo-color Doppler. Nineteen healthy adult patients (10 male; 47.8 +/- 17.6) were recruited as a control group.

RESULTS

IMT was not significantly higher in patients when compared to the control group (0.59 +/- 0.16 vs 0.56 +/- 0.16 mm, p = 0.4). There was no significant difference between the two groups in relation to the absence (p = 0.7) or presence (p = 0.6) of vascular risk factors. Although the difference did not reach statistical significance (p = 0.1), the irradiated young patients (age < or = 52 years) had IMT measurements higher (0.54 +/- 0.08 mm) than the non-irradiated young patients (0.49 +/- 0.14 mm). The mean carotid IMT increased with increasing doses of radiation to the neck (p = 0.04).

CONCLUSION

This study shows that increased IMT of the common carotid artery after RT is radiation-dose-related. Therefore it is important to monitor IMT, which can be used as an imaging biomarker for early diagnosis of cerebrovascular disease in patients who have had radiotherapy for treatment of cancer of the head and neck and who are at increased risk for accelerated atherosclerosis in carotid arteries.

Diabetes and cardiovascular disease during androgen deprivation therapy: observational study of veterans with prostate cancer

BACKGROUND

Previous studies indicate that androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer is associated with diabetes and cardiovascular disease among older men. We evaluated the relationship between androgen deprivation therapy and incident diabetes and cardiovascular disease in men of all ages with prostate cancer.

METHODS

We conducted an observational study of 37,443 population-based men who were diagnosed with local or regional prostate cancer in the Veterans Healthcare Administration from January 1, 2001, through December 31, 2004, with follow-up through December 31, 2005. Cox proportional hazards models were used to assess whether androgen deprivation therapy with gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) agonists, oral antiandrogens, the combination of the two (ie, combined androgen blockade), or orchiectomy was associated with diabetes, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction, sudden cardiac death, or stroke, after adjustment for patient and tumor characteristics. All statistical tests were two-sided.

RESULTS

Overall, 14,597 (39%) of the 37,443 patients were treated with androgen deprivation therapy. Treatment with GnRH agonists was associated with statistically significantly increased risks of incident diabetes (for GnRH agonist therapy, 159.4 events per 1000 person-years vs 87.5 events for no androgen deprivation therapy, difference = 71.9, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 71.6 to 72.2; adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.19 to 1.38), incident coronary heart disease (aHR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.28), myocardial infarction (12.8 events per 1000 person-years for GnRH agonist therapy vs 7.3 for no androgen deprivation therapy, difference = 5.5, 95% CI = 5.4 to 5.6; aHR = 1.28, 95% CI = 1.08 to 1.52), sudden cardiac death (aHR = 1.35, 95% CI = 1.18 to 1.54), and stroke (aHR = 1.22, 95% CI = 1.10 to 1.36). Combined androgen blockade was statistically significantly associated with an increased risk of incident coronary heart disease (aHR = 1.27, 95% CI = 1.05 to 1.53), and orchiectomy was associated with coronary heart disease (aHR = 1.40, 95% CI = 1.04 to 1.87) and myocardial infarction (aHR = 2.11, 95% CI = 1.27 to 3.50). Oral antiandrogen monotherapy was not associated with any outcome studied.

CONCLUSION

Androgen deprivation therapy with GnRH agonists was associated with an increased risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.