Integrating Cardio-Oncology Across the Research Pipeline, Policy, and Practice in Australia-An Australian Cardiovascular Alliance Perspective.

Over 18 million people worldwide were diagnosed with cancer in 2020, including over 150,000 people in Australia. Although improved early detection and treatment have increased the survival rates, cardiotoxic treatment and inadequate management of cardiovascular risk factors have resulted in cardiovascular disease (CVD) being one of the leading causes of non-cancer-related death and disability among cancer survivors. International guidelines outline the standards of care for CVD risk surveillance and management. However, Australian cardio-oncology policies and clinical guidelines are limited. There is increasing growth of cardio-oncology research in Australia and support from leading Australian professional bodies and advocacy and research networks, including the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, the Clinical Oncology Society of Australia, the National Heart Foundation of Australia, and the Australian Cardiovascular Alliance (ACvA). Thus, opportunities to drive multidisciplinary cardio-oncology initiatives are growing, including grant funding, position statements, and novel research to inform new policies. The ACvA has a unique flagship structure that spans the translational research pipeline from drug discovery to implementation science. This article aims to highlight how multidisciplinary cardio-oncology innovations could intersect with the seven ACvA flagships, and to showcase Australian achievements in cardio-oncology thus far. We summarise eight key priority areas for future cardio-oncology research that emerged. These strategies will strengthen cardio-oncology research and care in Australia, and drive new guidelines, policies, and government initiatives to ensure equity in health outcomes for all cardio-oncology patients.

Protocol: Can coronary artery calcium score identified on thoracic planning CT scans be used and actioned to identify cancer survivors at high risk of cardiac events: A feasibility study in cancer survivors undergoing radiotherapy in Australia.

INTRODUCTION: A coronary artery calcium (CAC) CT scan can identify calcified plaque and predict risk of future cardiac events. Cancer survivors undergoing thoracic radiotherapy routinely undergo a planning CT scan, which presents a unique opportunity to use already obtained medical imaging to identify those at the highest risk of cardiac events. While radiation therapy is an important modality for many cancer treatments, radiation dose to the heart in thoracic radiotherapy leads to cardiotoxicity and may accelerate pre-existing atherosclerosis. The primary aims of this study are to investigate the feasibility of using CAC scores calculated on thoracic radiotherapy planning CT scans to identify a subset of cancer survivors at an increased risk of future cardiac events, and to establish and evaluate a referral pathway for assessment and management in a cardio-oncology clinic. An optional substudy aims to investigate using abdominal aortic calcification (AAC) as a practical, low-radiation alternative to CAC to evaluate and monitor vascular health. METHODS AND ANALYSIS: This is an observational, prospective study in a minimum of 100 cancer survivors commencing radiotherapy. Participants will have CAC scored from thoracic radiotherapy planning CT scans. Those identified as high risk (CAC score>0) will be referred to a cardio-oncology clinic. Feasibility, determined by adherence to the recommended pathway, and impact on quality of life and anxiety measured via questionnaire, will be assessed. Participants in Western Australia will be invited to participate in a 12-month observational pilot substudy, investigating lifestyle behaviours and the use of a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry machine to measure musculoskeletal health and AAC. ETHICS AND DISSEMINATION: Ethics approval has been obtained from St Vincent's Hospital, Sydney (Project number 2021/ETH11847), GenesisCare and Edith Cowan University (2022-03326-DALLAVIA). Study results will be reported in peer-reviewed academic journals, at scientific conferences, and at clinical forums, irrespective of the results observed. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: ACTRN12621001343897.

When Cancer and Cardiovascular Disease Intersect: The Challenge and the Opportunity of Cardio-Oncology.

Cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) commonly coexist, with increasing evidence that long-term cancer survivors are more likely to die from CVD than the general population. Effective management of CVD and its risk factors requires identification of patients at increased risk who may benefit from early intervention and their appropriate monitoring across the disease trajectory. Improving outcomes requires new models of multidisciplinary cancer care supported by care pathways. Such pathways require a clear delineation of the roles and responsibilities of all team members and provision of appropriate enablers for their delivery. These include accessible point-of-care tools/risk calculators, patient resources, and the provision of tailored training opportunities for health care providers.

Billing And Insurance-Related Administrative Costs: A Cross-National Analysis.

Billing and insurance-related costs are a significant source of wasteful health care spending in Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development nations, but these administrative burdens vary across national systems. We executed a microlevel accounting of these costs in different national settings at six provider locations in five nations (Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, and Singapore) that supplements our prior study measuring the costs in the US. We found that billing and insurance-related costs for inpatient bills range from a low of $6 in Canada to a high of $215 in the US for an inpatient surgical bill (purchasing power parity adjusted). We created a taxonomy of billing and insurance-related activities (eligibility, coding, submission, and rework) that was applied to data from the six sites and allows cross-national comparisons. Higher costs in the US and Australia are attributed to high coding costs. Much of the savings achieved in some nations is attributable to assigning tasks to people in lower-skill job categories, although most of the savings are due to more efficient billing and insurance-related processes. Some nations also reduce these costs by offering financial counseling to patients before treatment. Our microlevel approach can identify specific cost drivers and reveal national billing features that reduce coding costs. It illustrates a valuable pathway for future research in understanding and mitigating administrative costs in health care.

Genesis of improved quality in imaging through a national Australian echocardiography registry.

BACKGROUND: Despite rapid technological advances and growth, quality in imaging has not received the focus seen elsewhere in cardiovascular medicine, resulting in significant gaps between guidelines and practice. Contemporary echocardiography practice requires comprehensive real-time data collection to allow dynamic auditing and benchmarking of key performance indices. The American College of Cardiology (ACC) proposed additional data standardisation, structured reporting identifying key data elements and imaging registries. In the absence of an Australian echocardiography registry, we developed a national clinical quality registry (GenesisCare Cardiovascular Outcomes Echo Registry). We hypothesised that measurement and local reporting of data would improve compliance of echo studies with quality guidelines and hence their clinical value. METHODS AND RESULTS: We prospectively collected data on 4 099 281 echocardiographic studies entered directly into a central electronic database from 63 laboratories across four Australian states between 2010 and 2021. Real-time auditing of key data elements and introduction of quality improvement pathways were performed to maximise completeness and uniformity of data acquisition and reporting. We compared completeness of key data element acquisition (AV peak velocity, left ventricular ejection fraction, E/e', LA area, rhythm, RVSP) by time and state using de-identified data. Key performance outcomes benchmarked against the aggregated study cohort and international standards were reported to individual sites to drive quality improvement. Between 2010 and 2014 there were significant improvements in data completeness (72.0%+/-26.8% vs 86.8%+/-13.5%, p=0.02), which were maintained to 2020. In addition, interstate variability fell for both EF and E/e' (p<0.002). CONCLUSIONS: This large-scale collaboration provides a platform for the development of major quality improvement initiatives in echocardiography. Introduction of local quality assurance programmes via a unified national data set significantly improved the completeness of reporting of key echo quality measures. This in turn significantly improved the quality of, and reduced the interstate variability of, echo data. Developing a centralised database allowed rapid adoption nationally of local quality improvements.

Cardiovascular Manifestations From Therapeutic Radiation: A Multidisciplinary Expert Consensus Statement From the International Cardio-Oncology Society.

Radiation therapy is a cornerstone of cancer therapy, with >50% of patients undergoing therapeutic radiation. As a result of widespread use and improved survival, there is increasing focus on the potential long-term effects of ionizing radiation, especially cardiovascular toxicity. Radiation therapy can lead to atherosclerosis of the vasculature as well as valvular, myocardial, and pericardial dysfunction. We present a consensus statement from the International Cardio-Oncology Society based on general principles of radiotherapy delivery and cardiovascular risk assessment and risk mitigation in this population. Anatomical-based recommendations for cardiovascular management and follow-up are provided, and a priority is given to the early detection of atherosclerotic vascular disease on imaging to help guide preventive therapy. Unique management considerations in radiation-induced cardiovascular disease are also discussed. Recommendations are based on the most current literature and represent a unanimous consensus by the multidisciplinary expert panel.

The Importance of Primary Care in Cardio-Oncology.

OPINION STATEMENT: There is significant interplay between cancer and cardiovascular disease involving shared risk factors, cross disease communication where cardiovascular events can influence cancer recurrence, and mortality rates and cardiotoxicity from cancer treatments with resultant increased cardiovascular mortality and morbidity in cancer patients. This is a major cause of death in many long-term cancer survivors. As a result, cardio-oncology, which involves the prevention, early detection, and optimal treatment of cardiovascular disease in patients treated for cancer, is expanding globally. However, there is still limited awareness of its importance and limited application of the lessons already learnt. Primary care physicians, and their clinical teams, especially nursing colleagues, have a foundation role in the management of all patients, and this paper outlines areas where they can lead in the cardio-oncology management of cancer patients. Although there is currently a lack of an adequate clinical framework or shared care plan, primary care physicians have a role to play in the various phases of cancer treatment: pre-therapy, during therapy, and survivorship.

Sex differences in Cardiac electronic device implantation: Outcomes from an Australian multi-centre clinical quality registry.

BACKGROUND: There is uncertainty regarding whether outcomes after Cardiac Implantable Electronic Devices (CIED) differ between women and men. There are no prospectively collected data regarding Australian CIED outcomes. This study aimed to determine whether the characteristics and outcomes of Australian patients undergoing CIED implantation differ by sex. METHODS: We prospectively followed 5,360 patients undergoing CIED implantation between 2015 and 2019 in a large multi-centre Australian registry. Patient characteristics, procedural data, medications and clinical outcomes to 1 year were analysed. RESULTS: The mean age was 76.2 + 11.2 years, and 2022 (37.7%) were female. Women were older than men at device implantation (77.0 ±â€¯11.6 years vs. 75.5 ±â€¯10.9 years, p < 0.001). Most implants were de novo (79.7%). Pacing was more commonly for sick sinus syndrome in women than men (54.4% vs. 47.2%, p < 0.001) and less often for A-V block (28.3% vs. 35.1%, p < 0.001). Adverse events at 30 days were low compared to international cohorts, for mortality (0.06%) and major complications (0.6%). There were no significant sex differences (women vs. men) for death (HR 1.33, 95% CI 0.58-3.13, p = 0.49) or major complications (HR 1.41, 95% 95% CI 0.65-3.03, p = 0.39). At 1-year, there was no difference in major complications or risk-adjusted all-cause mortality (HR 1.05, 95% CI 0.70-1.29, p = 0.77) between women and men. CONCLUSIONS: Clinical practice and 30-day outcomes after CIED implantation in Australia are consistent with international reports. There were no differences in procedural complication rates or clinical outcomes at 1-year between women and men, regardless of age or CIED system implanted.

Development of an international standard set of outcome measures for patients with atrial fibrillation: a report of the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) atrial fibrillation working group.

AIMS: As health systems around the world increasingly look to measure and improve the value of care that they provide to patients, being able to measure the outcomes that matter most to patients is vital. To support the shift towards value-based health care in atrial fibrillation (AF), the International Consortium for Health Outcomes Measurement (ICHOM) assembled an international Working Group (WG) of 30 volunteers, including health professionals and patient representatives to develop a standardized minimum set of outcomes for benchmarking care delivery in clinical settings. METHODS AND RESULTS: Using an online-modified Delphi process, outcomes important to patients and health professionals were selected and categorized into (i) long-term consequences of disease outcomes, (ii) complications of treatment outcomes, and (iii) patient-reported outcomes. The WG identified demographic and clinical variables for use as case-mix risk adjusters. These included baseline demographics, comorbidities, cognitive function, date of diagnosis, disease duration, medications prescribed and AF procedures, as well as smoking, body mass index (BMI), alcohol intake, and physical activity. Where appropriate, and for ease of implementation, standardization of outcomes and case-mix variables was achieved using ICD codes. The standard set underwent an open review process in which over 80% of patients surveyed agreed with the outcomes captured by the standard set. CONCLUSION: Implementation of these consensus recommendations could help institutions to monitor, compare and improve the quality and delivery of chronic AF care. Their consistent definition and collection, using ICD codes where applicable, could also broaden the implementation of more patient-centric clinical outcomes research in AF.

A retrospective case study to assess the value of the implantable loop recorder for the investigation of undiagnosed syncope.

If not diagnosed by history, examination, or ECG, the diagnosis of syncope can be difficult with a low yield from echocardiography, ambulatory ECG recording, electrophysiological study, and tilt table testing. During 2 years, 48 patients with unexplained syncope or presyncope from three hospitals in one city underwent the implantation of a Medtronic Reveal implantable loop recorder capable of cardiac monitoring for 14 months. All patients had at least two prior episodes of syncope or presyncope. Fifty-two percent of patients had electrophysiological studies, all of which were negative. The implantable loop recorder remained implanted until a diagnostic event was recorded, or until the end of the battery life. After a mean follow-up of 5.6 +/- 5.7 months, symptoms reoccurred in 25 (52.1%) patients at a mean of 2.8 +/- 2.1 months after insertion of an implantable loop recorder. No further symptoms occurred in 23 (47.9%) patients. Of the 25 patients who had a symptom and recorded an event, an arrhythmia was seen in 10 (40%) patients. Seven patients had bradycardia; 4 with profound sinus bradycardia/sinus arrest, 1 with complete heart block, and 2 in association with the cardioinhibitory component of vasovagal syncope. Three patients had tachycardias; two with supraventricular tachycardia and one with atrialflutter. Fifteen (60%) of the 25 patients who activated their device due to syncope or presyncope were in sinus rhythm during the event. The implantable loop recorder was effective in making a cardiological or noncardiological diagnosis for unexplained syncope or presyncope in 52.1% of the patients.