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COVID-19 and Cardiovascular Health Among Patients with Cancer
Nicolas L Palaskas1, Efstratios Koutroumpakis2, Anita Deswal3
1Department of Cardiology, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, 1400 Pressler Street, Unit 1451, Houston, TX, 77025, USA. nlpalaskas@mdanderson.org.
Purpose Of Review:
The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), continues to spread with rising new cases and deaths. Patients with cancer represent a uniquely vulnerable population not only with higher susceptibility to COVID-19 but also at increased risk for its complications. This review focuses on the implications of COVID-19 in the cardiovascular health of patients with cancer.
Recent Findings:
Patients more susceptible to COVID-19 with increased severity of disease include those with cancer and cardiovascular comorbidities. In addition, the cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 including acute myocardial injury, thromboembolism, cardiomyopathy, myocarditis, and pericardial disease overlap with many of those encountered during cancer treatment. Despite the absence of large studies of patients with both cancer and cardiovascular disease, the incidence of cardiovascular complications in cancer patients with COVID-19 is expected to be high. This has implications for cardiac monitoring, chemotherapy administration, and the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease during COVID-19.
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