Prevalence of Cardiac Disease in Breast Cancer Patients at Time of Diagnosis Compared to the General Female Population in Germany

Abstract

Background: Advances in oncological therapy have significantly improved breast cancer survival; therefore comorbid conditions are becoming more relevant. We investigated the prevalence of prior cardiovascular diseases and risk factors in patients with breast cancer compared to those in the general female population in Germany. Methods: The PASSOS heart study is a retrospective multicenter cohort study on cardiac late effects in breast cancer patients treated between 1998 and 2008. We analyzed the frequencies of cardiac diseases and cardiovascular risk factors in patients from this cohort as documented in anesthesia protocols compared to self-reported frequencies in the general female population in Germany. Results: 3,496 patients aged between 40 and 79 years who underwent breast surgery were considered for analysis. The age-standardized prevalence of cardiac diseases or cardiovascular risk factors was 6.75 versus 7.52% and 69 versus 80.92%, respectively. Coronary heart disease (3.96 vs. 5.18%) and angina pectoris (0.37 vs. 1.03%) prevalence was lower in breast cancer patients, while non-fatal myocardial infarction (2.06 vs. 1.81%) and stroke (2.64 vs. 2.34%) were more frequent (not statistically significant). Conclusion: Pre-existing cardiac diseases and cardiovascular risk factors are common in both study populations, being slightly less frequent in the PASSOS cohort. When making therapy decisions, the cardiac risk profile should be carefully monitored and taken into account.