PO-699-07 RISK OF SUDDEN CARDIAC DEATH IN PATIENTS UNDERGOING CANCER TREATMENT

Abstract

The risk of sudden cardiac death (SCD) among cancer patients receiving cancer therapies in not well-defined. The identification of patients exposed to cancer treatments who are at risk of SCD may lead to preventive measures and may improve patient survival. Our study aimed to 1), evaluate the risk of SCD during the first 6 months of cancer treatment and 2), identify predictors of SCD in patients undergoing active cancer treatment. The present study population comprised 8356 patients who received any cancer treatment at the University of Rochester Medical Center from 2011-2020. The primary endpoint was occurrence of SCD during the first 6 months of cancer treatment. To identify cause of death, medical charts were reviewed for narratives including a description of the circumstances surrounding each patient’s death. Mode of death was categorized as cardiac or non-cardiac. Cardiac cause of mortality was further categorized as SCD using the modified Hinkle-Thaler classification. Mean age at the time of cancer treatment was 64 +14 years, 50% were female and 85% were White. History of smoking was reported in 45% of patients, hypertension in 57%, diabetes in 25% and coronary artery disease in 19%. Death occurred in 834 (10%) within 6 months from cancer treatment, with SCD was identified in 49 (6%) patients. At 6-month follow-up, the cumulative rate of sudden cardiac death was 0.60% as shown in Figure 1. The cumulative rate of SCD was significantly higher among patients less than 74 years of age as shown in Figure 2. Consistently cox regression analysis showed that age less than 74 years was associated with 2.6-fold higher risk of SCD (HR 2.62, 95%CI 1.04-6.60, p value 0.042). Cancer treatment may be associated with increased risk of SCD during the first 6 months of treatment and the elevated risk of SCD appears to be more pronounced in patients who are less than 74 years of age. Further prospective studies with monitoring are warranted to better understand the mode of SCD in this population and to identify measures for SCD protection in high-risk patients who receive cancer treatment.View Large Image Figure ViewerDownload Hi-res image Download (PPT)