Cross-sectional study of primary care utilization and cardiovascular screening in adult survivors of childhood cancer

Cardiovascular disease is the leading noncancer cause of premature death among survivors of childhood cancer. Adult survivors of childhood cancer are largely managed by primary care practioners (PCPs), and health care utilization patterns related to cardiovascular screening are not well described. A cross-sectional study including 293 survivors of childhood cancer at high risk for cardiovascular complications foud that participants’ PCP records had infrequent documentation referencing a cancer history or a need for late-effects surveillance, and only 21.5% of participants records had a completed or planned echocardiogram in the prior 2 years. Factors associated with with up-to-date cardiac screening included documentation of increased cardiovascular risks or a late-effects surveillance plan. The authors conclude that these findings suggest that increasing survivors and PCPs awareness of risks and surveillanc recommendations may improve adherence to screening.