A large study revealed that severe valvular heart disease (VHD) is common among cancer patients and is associated with poorer survival outcomes.
A large study has found that severe valvular heart disease (VHD) is common among cancer patients and is associated with poorer survival outcomes.
According to research presented at the annual congress of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging, held from December 11-13 in Vienna, VHDs, including mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, aortic regurgitation, aortic stenosis, pulmonary stenosis, pulmonary regurgitation, tricuspid regurgitation, tricupid stenosis.
The study, led by Dr. Maximilian Autherith of the Medical University of Vienna, analysed the prevalence, characteristics, management strategies, and outcomes of VHD in a large study with confirmed cancer diagnoses who were advised for transthoracic echocardiography at the time of cancer diagnosis.
Among 10,353 patients included in the analysis, 7.2 percent developed severe VHDs.
Nearly 3.7% patients were diagnosed with tricuspid regurgitation, 2.6% were found to have mitral regurgitation, 2.2% had aortic stenosis, and 0.3% had aortic regurgitation.
Maximum patients diagnosed with severe VHD were older and had increased levels of N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), minimised kidney function, and an increased burden of cardiovascular comorbidities in contrast to people already suffering from severe valve diseases.
Severe VHD was found to have increased all-cause mortality and cardiovascular death, even after adjusting for key clinical factors.
Over a median follow-up of 23 months, 21.5 percent of affected patients underwent valvular intervention that was linked to improved survival.
The results highlighted the significance of routine cardiovascular monitoring in cancer patients and suggest that valvular interventions should not be routinely withheld in this population.
