Ischaemic heart disease in cancer patients

Cardiovascular and oncologic diseases are the causes of more than 50 percent of mortality in Europe. In 2015 oncologic and cardiovascular mortality reached 70 percent in Hungary. Patients who receive anticancer therapies are at a 2-to 7-fold greater long-term risk of acute coronary syndrome; also concomittant oncologic diseases further increase the mortality of myocardial infarction. Unfortunately there is not enough data concerning cardiovascular treatment of oncologic patients because they were excluded from most of the studies and registries. Because there is no clear protocol to treat such patients, only small studies and personal experiences could guide our medical therapies. The role of cardio-oncology is even more important, because due to the new treatments the number of tumor survivors rapidly increases. In the US more than 20 millions survivals are expected by 2025 who were treated by any kind of malignant tumors. It is not surprising that in 2014 the American Society of Cardiology declared cardio-oncology as a special and important field in cardiology, and in 2016 European Society of Cardiology released the first cardiooncologic guideline. In this review we summarize questions and problems concerning the treatment of oncologic patient with ischaemic heart disease based on resent guidelines, published studies and local protocols.