ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The prevalence of acute cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in cancer patients is steadily increasing and represents a significant reason for admission to the emergency department (ED). METHODS: We conducted a prospective observational study, enrolling consecutive patients with cancer presenting to a tertiary oncological ED and consequently admitted to the oncology ward. Two groups of patients were identified based on main symptoms that lead to ED presentation: symptoms potentially related to CVD vs. symptoms potentially not related to CVD. The aims of the study were to describe the prevalence of symptoms potentially related to CVD in this specific setting and to evaluate the prevalence of definite CV diagnoses at discharge. Secondary endpoints were new intercurrent in-hospital CV events occurrence, length of stay in the oncology ward, and mid-term mortality for all-cause. RESULTS: A total of 469 patients (51.8% female, median age 68.0 [59.1-76.3]) were enrolled. One hundred and eighty-six out of 469 (39.7%) presented to the ED with symptoms potentially related to CVD. Baseline characteristics were substantially similar between the two study groups. A discharge diagnosis of CVD was confirmed in 24/186 (12.9%) patients presenting with symptoms potentially related to CVD and in no patients presenting without symptoms potentially related to CVD (p < 0.01). During a median follow-up of 3.4 (1.2-6.5) months, 204 (43.5%) patients died (incidence rate of 10.1 per 100 person/months). No differences were found between study groups in terms of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio [HR]: 0.85, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.64-1.12), new in-hospital CV events (HR: 1.03, 95% CI 0.77-1.37), and length of stay (p = 0.57). CONCLUSIONS: In a contemporary cohort of cancer patients presenting to a tertiary oncological ED and admitted to an oncology ward, symptoms potentially related to CVD were present in around 40% of patients, but only a minority were actually diagnosed with an acute CVD.