Purpose: As breast cancer survival has significantly improved and patient life expectancy has increased, greater numbers of elderly breast cancer survivors are at risk for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Therefore, this study investigated the impact of age on the incidence, mortality, and predictors of CVD following adjuvant chemotherapy in the late period of survivorship.
Methods: 761 Patients who underwent chemotherapy were enrolled and divided into patients aged < 50 years (n = 413, 54.3%) and patients aged ≥ 50 years (n = 348, 45.7%). Among the entire cohort, 445 patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography.
Results: During long-term follow-up (median 122 months, range 12-340 months), CVD events developed in 50 (6.57%) patients, including 17 (4.1%) aged < 50 years and 33 (9.5%) aged ≥ 50 years (p = 0.003). 8 (1.1%) of 50 patients with CVD died, including 1 patient aged < 50 years and 7 patients aged ≥ 50 years. CVD-free survival was significantly lower in patients aged ≥ 50 years compared with patients aged < 50 years (p < 0.001). In multivariate analyses, age ≥ 50 years [p < 0.001, hazard ratio (HR) = 3.802, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.986-7.278], the radio of the peak early and mitral tissue Doppler velocities (p = 0.014, HR = 1.102, 95% CI 1.020-1.190), and global longitudinal strain (p < 0.001, HR = 1.208, 95% CI 1.096-1.332) are significant predictors of CVD.
Conclusions: Age, diastolic function, and strain value in patients with breast cancer who underwent chemotherapy has a long-term effect on CVD. Therefore, it is important to consider ethnic and age-specific risks for CVD in breast cancer survivors.
Keywords: Breast cancer; Cardiovascular disease; Chemotherapy; Risk factor.