Cancer patients who suffer acute myocardial infarction get inferior treatment to other patients, according to a European study.
The findings come from an analysis of care of more than 35,000 AMI patients in Switzerland over the course of this century.
The researchers found that patients with cancer were less likely to receive percutaneous coronary intervention and to be prescribed P2Y12 blockers or statins.
In hospital the mortality rate of cancer patients who suffered AMI was 10.7% compared with 7.6% of other patients. Cancer patients also faced an increased risk of complications, including development of heart failure.
Writing in European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care yesterday, the researchers say the level of treatment could be affected by the seriousness of the cancer.
Researcher Dr Dragana Radovanovic, head of the AMIS Plus Data Centre in Zurich, Switzerland, said: “More research is needed to find out why cancer patients receive suboptimal treatment for myocardial infarction and have poorer outcomes.
“Possible reasons could be the type and stage of cancer, or severe comorbidities. Some cancer patients may have a very limited life expectancy and refuse treatment for myocardial infarction.”
Treatment of patients with myocardial infarction depends on history of cancer. European Heart Journal: Acute Cardiovascular Care 21 September 2017; doi: 10.1177/2048872617729636 [abstract]
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