Related Experiment Videos
Cardiovascular Phenotypes Across Major Cancer Types: Distribution and Association with All-Cause Mortality in a
Bozhidar Krastev1,2, Natalia Spasova1,2, Desislava Somleva1,2
1Department of Emergency Medicine, Medical University of Sofia, 1527 Sofia, Bulgaria.
Insights
Cardiovascular disease profiles vary by cancer type. Structural heart disease was most linked to mortality in cancer patients, with overall cardiovascular burden offering modest additional information.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Cardiology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Cardiovascular comorbidities are common in patients with solid tumors.
- Their distribution across cancer types and impact on mortality are not well-defined.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess cardiovascular phenotypes in major cancer groups.
- To examine the association between these phenotypes and all-cause mortality.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective cohort study of 2020 adult cancer patients.
- Classified tumors (respiratory, GI, GU, breast, other) and cardiovascular phenotypes (atherosclerotic, cardiometabolic, structural heart disease, thromboembolic).
- Mortality analyzed as a binary outcome using multivariable logistic regression.
Main Results:
- All-cause mortality was 23.3%, varying significantly by tumor type (highest in respiratory cancers).
- Structural heart disease (OR 1.61) and atherosclerotic phenotype (OR 1.42, borderline) were associated with mortality.
- Increased cardiovascular burden correlated with higher mortality odds (OR 1.12 per factor).
Conclusions:
- Cardiovascular profiles differ across cancer types.
- Structural heart disease is a key phenotype associated with mortality in cancer patients.
- Routinely recorded diagnoses can inform mortality risk, but further longitudinal studies are needed.
Abstract:
Background/Objectives: Cardiovascular comorbidities are frequent in patients with solid malignancies, but their distribution across tumor types and their association with recorded all-cause mortality remain insufficiently defined. This study assessed clinically defined cardiovascular phenotypes across major cancer groups and examined their association with recorded all-cause mortality. Methods: We performed a retrospective cohort study of 2020 consecutive adult patients hospitalized with malignancies at University Hospital "Tsaritsa Yoanna-ISUL" between September 2023 and December 2025. Patients were classified as having respiratory, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, breast, or other solid malignancies. Four non-mutually exclusive cardiovascular phenotypes were predefined: atherosclerotic, cardiometabolic, structural heart disease, and thromboembolic. Mortality status was ascertained through the National Health Insurance Fund database and hospital electronic records. As complete time-to-event data were unavailable, mortality was analyzed as a binary outcome using multivariable logistic regression. Results: Recorded all-cause mortality occurred in 471 patients (23.3%) and differed significantly across solid tumor types (p < 0.001). Mortality was highest in respiratory cancers (42.3%), followed by gastrointestinal cancers (30.2%), other malignancies (23.5%), genitourinary cancers (14.9%), and breast cancer (9.1%). Cardiovascular phenotypes also differed across tumor groups. In the fully adjusted model, structural heart disease was associated with recorded all-cause mortality status after multivariable adjustment (OR 1.61, 95% CI 1.16-2.23, p = 0.004). The atherosclerotic phenotype showed a borderline association (OR 1.42, 95% CI 1.00-2.02, p = 0.051), whereas cardiometabolic and thromboembolic phenotypes were not associated with recorded mortality after multivariable adjustment. Model AUC was 0.771. When cardiovascular burden was modeled continuously, each additional cardiovascular factor was associated with higher odds of recorded all-cause mortality status (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.03-1.21, p = 0.005). Conclusions: Cardiovascular profiles differed across cancer types. Structural heart disease was the most consistent cardiovascular phenotype associated with recorded all-cause mortality, while overall cardiovascular burden provided additional but modest mortality-related information. In our cohort, routinely recorded cardiovascular diagnoses helped characterize mortality-related clinical profiles. However, these findings should be viewed as observational and hypothesis-generating, and further longitudinal studies are needed before any clinical use can be recommended.
Related Concept Videos
Cancer Survival Analysis
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Cancer Prevention
Some...
Blood Studies for Cardiovascular System I: Cardiac Biomarkers
The essential diagnostic tools for detecting myocardial necrosis and monitoring individuals suspected of having acute coronary syndrome (ACS) include:
Troponins
Troponins, particularly cardiac troponins I and T, are the most precise and sensitive markers of myocardial injury. They are detectable within 4-6 hours of myocardial injury and remain...
Coronary Artery Disease I: Introduction
Genome-wide Association Studies-GWAS
GWAS does not require the identification of the target gene involved in...