Predicting Cardiovascular Risk Factors for Acute Leukemia Patients by Assessing Subclinical Atherosclerosis and Left Ventricular Function Before Chemotherapy

Background: Subclinical atherosclerosis is a “silent” cardiovascular disease that can be devastating when combined with other illnesses. Its presence may affect therapy responses but can potentially worsen hematological malignancies due to most chemotherapy regimens’ cardiovascular adverse effects....

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Main Authors: Anda Gabriela Militaru, Daniel Florin Lighezan, Anca Maria Cimpean, Elena Amaricai, Marius Militaru
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-04-01
Series:Life
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Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2075-1729/15/5/704
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Summary:Background: Subclinical atherosclerosis is a “silent” cardiovascular disease that can be devastating when combined with other illnesses. Its presence may affect therapy responses but can potentially worsen hematological malignancies due to most chemotherapy regimens’ cardiovascular adverse effects. Thus, cardiovascular risk factor (CVRF) assessment is required before chemotherapy. Unfortunately, this rarely happens. Aim: we aim to examine the impact of CVRFs on hemodynamic parameters of acute leukemia (AL) patients before chemotherapy. Methods: Overall, 45 AL patients and 26 controls were included. Intima-media thickness (IMT), ankle brachial index (ABI), pulse wave velocity (PWV), and functional cardiac parameters were used. CVRFs were found in 26 AL patients (36.6%), while 19 AL (26.8%) patients lacked CVRFs. CVRFs were also found in 26 controls (36.6%). Results: Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) significantly decreased for patients with CVRFs (59.26 ± 5.62) compared to those without CVRFs (64.05 ± 7.43, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Hypertensive and diabetic patients had a significantly higher left IMT (mm) of 0.92 ± 0.01 compared to those without them (0.76 ± 0.03, <i>p</i> < 0.05). Patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) with CVRFs had a significantly higher PWV (m/s) of 8.4 ± 0.12 compared to those without CVRFs (6.87 ± 0.66) (<i>p</i> < 0.05). Conclusions: AL and cardiovascular risk factors interacted before chemotherapy. To decrease cardiotoxicity, AL patients need cardiovascular risk assessment. Subclinical atherosclerosis and echocardiography help chemotherapy patients to choose a treatment regimen, predict long-term outcomes, and predict cardiovascular issues.
ISSN:2075-1729