Risk of cardiovascular events among patients with head and neck cancer
Dr. Lova Sun
The understanding of risk of cardiovascular events among patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma is limited. A retrospective cohort study of 35,897 US veterans with HNSCC found high prevalence of CV risk factors (67% hypertension, 22% diabetes, 51% hyperlipidemia) suboptimally controlled at time of cancer diagnosis. Ten-year cumulative incidence of stroke and myocardial infarction was 12.5% and 8.3%, respectively. Incident stroke and myocardial infarction were associated with a 47% and 71% increased risk of all-cause mortality, respectively. The authors conclude that patients with HNSCC are at a significant risk of CV events.
