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Androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) is increasingly being used in men with localised prostate cancer, as well as advanced disease, but the relationship between the treatment and cardiovascular disease (CVD) is unclear.
A study in the British Journal of Cancer (online, 24 August 2017) looked at 10 individual CVD outcomes in the medical records of 7,637 men with localised prostate cancer who were followed up for a median of 3.4 years, of whom 2,170 (28.4%) were exposed to ADT[1]
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The researchers found that the risk of heart failure was increased by 81% in men without a history of CVD. Meanwhile, men with pre-existing CVD showed an elevated risk of arrhythmia (adjusted Hazard Ratio [HR] = 1.44, 95% Confidence Interval [CI] 1.02–2.01), and conduction disorder (adjusted HR = 3.11, 95% CI 1.22, 7.91).
The researchers suggested that men at the greatest risk of CVD outcomes could be given closer cardiac monitoring or encouraged to improve their diet and lifestyle during ADT.
References
[1] Haque R, UlcickasYood M, Xu X, et al. Cardiovascular disease risk and androgen deprivation therapy in patients with localised prostate cancer: a prospective cohort study. Br J Canc 2017, 1-8. doi: 10.1038/bjc.2017.280
