Abstract P6-05-09: Cardiovascular Risk Evaluation for Breast Cancer Survivors: A Pilot Study
Authors: Schlam Ilana , Debnath Dipanjan , Gallagher Christopher , Dilawari Asma A. , Tiwari Shruti R. , Aschalew Malate , Guebre-Xabiher Hiwot , Malloy Stacy , Graves Kristi , Barac Ana , Chitalia Ami 
Published: March 2023

Introduction: Breast cancer (BC) is the most common cancer in women in the United States (US). With advances in screening and treatment, there are increasing numbers of BC survivors. Preexisting or emerging cardiovascular (CV) risk factors and some cancer therapies put BC survivors at risk for long-term CV disease (CVD). ASCO clinical practice guidelines for prevention and monitoring of cardiac dysfunction recommend treatment of CV risk factors in cancer survivors, however, the application of these guidelines in clinical practice presents several challenges. In this pilot study, we describe the feasibility of performing CVD risk assessment in a cohort of BC survivors in a single institution in an urban area that serves mostly Black/African American (AA) populations.

Methods: We identified patients with early-stage BC treated between 2015 and 2022. Patients underwent CVD risk assessment including vital signs, hemoglobin A1c, lipid panel, transthoracic echocardiogram (TTE), 6-minute walk test (6MWT), troponin T, and B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-ProBNP). The primary objective of the study was to describe the feasibility of performing a CVD risk assessment.

Results: Out of 69 eligible patients who were approached for the study, 50 were enrolled and completed the CVD risk assessment (72%). Among 19 patients who did not enroll or complete the risk assessment, time constraints to complete the work up was the predominant factor. The median age was 60.5 years (SD = 13.65; range 34-86), 76% self-identified as Black/AA, 14% as White, and 95% as Non-Hispanic. Half of the patients had hormone-receptor-positive BC, 34% human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive disease (and received HER2-targeted therapies), and 28% triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC). In terms of treatment, 34% received anthracycline-containing regimens. CVD risk assessment results are shown in Table 1. Twenty-four (48%) of the patients had metabolic syndrome defined as the presence of 3 out of 5 CV risk factors (waist circumference, hypertension, low HDL, high triglycerides, insulin resistance). Although all patients had an ejection fraction (EF) above 55%, 7 patients (14%) had an abnormal global longitudinal strain (GLS). The median number of meters in the 6MWT was 369 (SD 94.46, range 67-531); 74% of patients walked a shorter distance than predicted by age and body mass index, indicating significant physical impairment. All patients had a troponin T value below the 99th percentile. The most frequent modifiable CVD-risk factors included obesity and hypertension.

Conclusion: Performing a low-cost CVD risk assessment in a population of mostly Black/AA BC survivors was feasible in this pilot study. We identified a high prevalence of CVD risk factors, with 48% of patients meeting metabolic syndrome criteria and the majority of patients demonstrated a very high level of functional impairment measured by 6MWT. Our findings underscore the importance of survivorship care focused on CVD risk in BC survivors. Limitations include the small sample size, single-institution study, and lack of CV and BC-related outcomes. The higher incidence of TNBC could be explained by a selection bias of patients receiving cytotoxic chemotherapy and the higher incidence of TNBC in the Black/AA population. Future research will focus on implementing this assessment in the survivorship clinic and establishing interventions to decrease CVD risk in cancer survivors.

Table 1. Clinical Measurements & Outcomes (n=50).

Citation Format: Ilana Schlam, Dipanjan Debnath, Christopher Gallagher, Asma A. Dilawari, Shruti R. Tiwari, Malate Aschalew, Hiwot Guebre-Xabiher, Stacy Malloy, Kristi Graves, Ana Barac, Ami Chitalia. Cardiovascular Risk Evaluation for Breast Cancer Survivors: A Pilot Study [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the 2022 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium; 2022 Dec 6-10; San Antonio, TX. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2023;83(5 Suppl):Abstract nr P6-05-09.