Cancer patients who experienced tachycardia within one year of cancer diagnosis may have higher mortality rates up to 10 years after diagnosis of tachycardia, according to research presented Jan. 25 at ACC’s Advancing the Cardiovascular Care of the Oncology Patient course in Washington, DC.

Tochi M. Okwuosa, DO, FACC, et al., analyzed 622 cancer patients – including lung cancer, leukemia, lymphoma or multiple myeloma – from Rush University Medical Center between 2008 to 2016. They assessed mortality for patients adjusting for age and other characteristics that were significantly different between a heart rate of more than 100 beats per minute (bpm) and less than 100 bpm. In this study, researchers defined sinus tachycardia as a heart rate over 100 bpm diagnosed via electrocardiogram.

Of the 622 cancer patients, 50 patients had tachycardia and 572 control patients did not. Patients included in the study had tachycardia at more than three different clinic visits within one year of diagnosis, excluding history of pulmonary embolism, thyroid dysfunction, ejection fraction less than 50 percent, atrial fibrillation and a heart rate over 180 bpm.

Results showed that tachycardia was a significant predictor of overall mortality in both models. Of the patients who experienced tachycardia, 62 percent died within 10 years of diagnosis compared to 22.9 percent of the control group.

The authors note that further studies must be done to determine whether management of tachycardia in cancer patients will have any effect on survival.

“We are continuously learning about the unique heart disease risks that face cancer patients, and our study shows that tachycardia is a strong prognosticator regardless of cancer type,” the authors write. “That is why it is critically important to be co-managing both cancer and heart conditions to ensure patients receive the most effective treatment possible.”

ACC’s Advancing the Cardiovascular Care of the Oncology Patient conference, which convenes Jan. 25 – 27 in Washington, DC, brings together top experts in both cardiology and oncology to review new and relevant science in this rapidly evolving field. Stay up-to-date on the course through social media by using the hashtag #CardioOnc and tagging @ACCinTouch.

Keywords: Tachycardia, Sinus, Heart Rate, Atrial Fibrillation, Multiple Myeloma, Stroke Volume, Electrocardiography, Lymphoma, Leukemia, Pulmonary Embolism, Lung Neoplasms

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