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January 06, 2026
2 min read
Key takeaways:
- Valvular heart disease impacts approximately 7% of patients with cancer.
- One in five underwent interventional management.
- Intervention was associated with significant improvement in survival.
Severe valvular heart disease was not uncommon among patients with cancer, and intervention to manage the valvular disease was associated with significant improvement in survival, a speaker reported.
Among patients with cancer and severe valvular heart disease, only about one in five underwent intervention, according to a presentation.
Valvular heart disease impacts approximately 7% of patients with cancer. Image: Adobe Stock
The results of the large-scale observational cohort CESAR study to better understand the prevalence, management and outcomes of valvular heart disease among patients with cancer were presented at the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Congress.
“Cardiovascular complications are becoming increasingly relevant in older patients after successful cancer therapy. For example, we already know that anthracycline chemotherapy causes heart failure and might lead to tricuspid and mitral valve regurgitation,” Maximilian Autherith, MD, of the Medical University of Vienna, said in a press release. “There is limited evidence to guide the most appropriate management plan for cancer patients with concomitant valvular heart disease, for instance, whether patients benefit from valvular interventions to a similar extent as patients without cancer.”
The present analysis of the CESAR study included 10,353 adult patients with cancer who underwent transthoracic echocardiography within 12 months at a tertiary referral center (mean age, 66 years; 47% women).
The main endpoints included all-cause and CV-related death, valvular interventions and their impact on survival.
Overall, 7.2% of the included patients with cancer had severe valvular heart disease (2.2% aortic stenosis; 2.6% mitral regurgitation; 3.7% tricuspid regurgitation; 0.3% aortic regurgitation).
The researchers observed that patients with cancer and severe valvular heart disease were on average older (69 vs. 64 years), with higher mean N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide levels (6,602 vs. 2,156 pg/mL), lower mean estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR; 52 vs. 69 mL/min/1.73 m2) and higher prevalence hypertension, diabetes and coronary artery disease compared with those without significant valvular disease (P < .001).
After adjusting for age, sex, NT-proBNP, eGFR and left ventricular function, severe valvular heart disease was significantly associated with all-cause (HR = 1.46; 95% CI, 1.25-1.71) and CV death (HR = 2.62; 95% CI, 2-3.43), according to the presentation.
During a median follow-up of 23 months, 21.5% of patients with severe valvular heart disease received a valvular intervention, which was independently associated with lower mortality risk (HR = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.09-0.87).
“Severe valvular heart disease was prevalent in this selected population of cancer patients who underwent echocardiography,” Autherith said in the release. “Only a small proportion of patients underwent interventions to treat valvular heart disease, but when they did, the impact on survival was considerable. Our findings highlight the need to refer cancer patients for regular cardiovascular monitoring and also suggest that interventions for valvular heart disease do not need to be withheld in this population. The next steps include further analysis of different administered cancer treatments and performed interventions.”
Sources/Disclosures
Source:
Autherith M. Role of echocardiography on cardio-oncology. Presented at: European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging Congress; Dec. 11-13, 2025; Vienna.
Reference:
Disclosures:
Autherith reports no relevant financial disclosures.
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