Developments in cancer treatment and care have dramatically improved survival for cancer patients, however, these treatments can also damage other parts of the body, including the heart.
Developments in cancer treatment and care have dramatically improved survival for cancer patients, however, these treatments can also damage other parts of the body, including the heart. At the American Heart Association’s Scientific Sessions 2020, physician-researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania will present findings about cardiac care for cancer patients and survivors.
While the field is aware of the potential damage cancer treatment can have on the heart, little data exists regarding the connection between cardiovascular adverse events—such as heart failures and arrhythmias—and Cyclin Dependent Kinase (CDK) 4/6 inhibitor therapy agents. CDK 4/6 inhibitors, such as palbociclib, ribociclib, and abemaciclib, are a novel class of cancer therapeutics which have significantly improved survival in patients with hormone receptor positive (ER/PR+), HER2 negative metastatic breast cancer.
An analysis of the OneFlorida dataset led by Michael Fradley, MD, medical director of Penn Cardio-Oncology and an associate professor of Cardiovascular Medicine, found that cardiovascular adverse events occurred in 16.8 percent of adult patients without prior cardiovascular disease who received at least one CDK 4/6 inhibitor. Of those patients, 17.2 percent died.
Read more at: University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine
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