Exposure to anthracycline doses ≥250 mg/m2 increased the odds of cardiomyopathy in adult survivors of childhood cancer compared to no exposure (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.1-6.9).
Cross-Sectional (n=1,853)
No
Adult survivors of childhood cancer exposed to cardiotoxic therapy have a high prevalence of asymptomatic, subclinical cardiac disease, highlighting the need for routine cardiovascular screening.
Odds Ratio: 2.7 (95% CI 1.1–6.9)
BACKGROUND: Studies of cardiac disease among adult survivors of childhood cancer have generally relied on self-reported or registry-based data. OBJECTIVE: To systematically assess cardiac outcomes among survivors of childhood cancer. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SETTING: St. Jude Children's Research Hospital. PATIENTS: 1853 adult survivors of childhood cancer, aged 18 years or older, who received cancer-related cardiotoxic therapy at least 10 years earlier. MEASUREMENTS: Baseline history and physical examination, fasting metabolic and lipid panels, echocardiography, electrocardiography, and 6-minute walk test. RESULTS: One half of the survivors (52.3%) were men with a median age of 8 years (range, 0 to 24 years) at cancer diagnosis and 31 years (range, 18 to 60 years) at evaluation. Cardiomyopathy was present in 7.4% survivors (newly identified at the time of evaluation in 4.7%), coronary artery disease in 3.8% (newly identified in 2.2%), valvular regurgitation or stenosis in 28.0% (newly identified in 24.8%), and conduction or rhythm abnormalities in 4.4% (newly identified in 1.4%). Nearly all survivors were asymptomatic. The prevalence of cardiac conditions increased with age at evaluation, ranging from 3% to 24% among survivors aged 30 to 39 years to 10% to 37% among those aged 40 years or older. In multivariable analysis, survivors exposed to anthracycline doses of 250 mg/m2 or more had greater odds of cardiomyopathy (odds ratio, 2.7 95% CI, 1.1 to 6.9) than those who were not exposed. Survivors exposed to heart radiation also had increased odds of cardiomyopathy (odds ratio, 1.9 CI, 1.1 to 3.7) compared with those who were not exposed. Radiation exposure greater than 1500 cGy with any anthracycline exposure conferred the greatest odds for valve findings. LIMITATIONS: Sixty-one percent of survivors exposed to anthracycline chemotherapy or cardiac-directed radiation participated. A comparison group and longitudinal assessments were not available. CONCLUSION: Cardiovascular screening identified considerable subclinical disease among adult survivors of childhood cancer. PRIMARY FUNDING SOURCE: National Cancer Institute, American Lebanese Syrian Associated Charities.
Mulrooney et al. (Mon,) conducted a cross-sectional in Adult survivors of childhood cancer (n=1,853). Anthracycline chemotherapy (≥250 mg/m2) vs. No exposure was evaluated on Cardiomyopathy (OR 2.7, 95% CI 1.1 to 6.9). Exposure to anthracycline doses ≥250 mg/m2 increased the odds of cardiomyopathy in adult survivors of childhood cancer compared to no exposure (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.1-6.9).