29.04.2023Clinical and Prognostic Relevance of Cardiac Wasting in Patients With Advanced Cancer

Body wasting in cancer patients may affect cardiac structure and function. Yet, the frequency, extent, and clinical and prognostic importance of cardiac wasting in cancer patients remained largely undefined. In a recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology among prospectively recruited patients with mostly advanced, active cancer but without significant cardiovascular disease or infection, these patients were compared to 60 healthy control subjects and 60 patients with chronic heart failure (ejection fraction <40%) of similar age and sex distribution. Of note, low left-ventricular mass was associated with poor functional status and increased all-cause mortality in cancer. These findings provide, for the first time, strong clinical evidence of cardiac wasting–associated cardiomyopathy in cancer. Full study results are now available online at www.jacc.org.

Simon Kraler