Heart failure & cardiomyopathies
Acute heart failure presentation, management, and outcomes in cancer patients: a national longitudinal study
Authors' conclusion
Survival in prior cancer patients presenting with acute HF was poor, with a significant proportion due to non-cancer causes of death. Despite this, cardiologists were less likely to manage cancer patients with HF. Cancer patients who develop HF were less likely to be prescribed guideline-based HF medications compared with non-cancer patients.
Study context
- Population
- Patients admitted to hospital in England for heart failure (HF), 2012–201812,867 with prior cancer
- Participants
- 221,953 patients
- Exposure
- Prior cancer vs no cancer in patients admitted with acute HF
- Prior cancern = 12,867
- Outcome
- HF presentation and in-hospital mortality, place of care, HF medication prescribing, post-discharge survival
Methodological detailspopulation-based, national, propensity score weighting
- Population-based
- National
- Propensity score weighting
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prior cancer vs Non-cancerPercentage point difference, % (95% CI)
Cared for in a cardiology ward
−2.4(−3.3 to −1.6)
Prior cancer vs Non-cancerPercentage point difference (95% CI)
ACEi/ARB prescribed for HFrEF
−2.1(−3.3 to −0.9)
- Post-discharge deaths in prior cancer due to non-cancer causes
- 68%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Original publication
Acute heart failure presentation, management, and outcomes in cancer patients: a national longitudinal study. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. Published 8 March 2023. doi:10.
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it