Current treatment of acute coronary syndromes in cancer patients: the need for improvement

Abstract

Abstract Background Cancer patients can develop acute coronary syndromes (ACS) due to their oncological therapy exposure or shared risk factors between cancer and cardiovascular disease. Cancer patients have been reported to receive suboptimal treatment in this setting, with lower rates of coronary angiography and or primary percutaneous intervention, despite the clear benefit of these therapies in ACS. This disparity in the care of cancer patients can lead to worse cardiovascular outcomes. Purpose To describe the contemporary therapeutic approach in patients with a history of cancer or current cancer presenting with an acute coronary syndrome to a tertiary care cardiology hospital. Methods We performed an electronic chart review of patients admitted to the cardiac intensive coronary unit of a tertiary care Cardiology hospital in our city, from May 2021 to February 2023. Patients with a current or historical diagnosis of cancer and acute coronary syndrome (with and without ST segment elevation) were identified. We collected the following information: demographic data, oncological diagnosis, cancer treatment history, ACS type, and ACS management. Results Seventy-five patients had diagnosis of current or historical cancer in the selected period. Of them, 40 patients were admitted with diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome. Mean age was 69.8 + 10.0 years. Twenty-one patients (52.5%) had a historical diagnosis of cancer and nineteen patients had diagnosis of current cancer. Of patients with historical cancer the most common type was hematological, followed by prostate and renal cancer. The most common types of active malignancies were prostate, colon, and renal cancer. ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) was the most common type of ACS (27 patients). Notably, only half of the patients presenting with STEMI underwent primary percutaneous coronary intervention, four patients received fibrinolytic treatment, and one third of patients with STEMI did not receive reperfusion therapy. Among patients with STEMI, mean time from symptom onset to reperfusion therapy was 495 minutes. Regarding the 13 patients presenting with non-ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), eight underwent an invasive strategy (coronary angiography) in the first 48 hours, of whom six had percutaneous coronary intervention, and one underwent coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Five patients with NSTEMI (38.4%) did not undergo coronary angiography during their hospitalization. Conclusions Patients with active or historical cancer presenting with STEMI receive late reperfusion treatment and up to one out of three do not receive reperfusion therapy. An important proportion of cancer patients presenting with NSTEMI do not even undergo invasive strategy. It is imperative to provide optimal care of cancer patients presenting with ACS.