Clinical presentation and treatment of acute coronary syndrome as well as 1-year survival of patients hospitalized due to cancer: A 7-year experience of a nonacademic center

The diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with cancer constitutes a therapeutic challenge. We aimed to assess the clinical presentation and management of ACS as well as 1-year survival in patients hospitalized for cancer. This retrospective study included patients hospitalized between 2012 and 2018 in a nonacademic center. The inclusion criteria were diagnosis of active cancer and ACS recognized using standard criteria. Patients were assessed with respect to invasive or conservative ACS strategy. The primary endpoint was all-cause mortality, and the secondary endpoint was cardiovascular mortality during 1-year follow-up. We screened 25,165 patients, of whom 36 (0.14%) had ACS (mean [SD] age, 71.9 [9.8] years). The most common presentation was non–ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (61% of patients). Coronary angiography was performed in 47% of patients, while 53% were treated conservatively. Overall, the primary endpoint occurred in 67% of patients and secondary endpoint in 28% during follow-up. The predictors of better outcome in a univariate analysis were invasive strategy, lack of metastases, aspirin use, and no cardiogenic shock. Invasive treatment and aspirin use remained significant predictors of better survival when adjusted for the presence of metastases (hazard ratio [HR] 0.37, confidence interval [CI] 0.15–0.92 and HR 0.39, CI 0.16–0.94, respectively) and ineligibility for cancer treatment (HR 0.37, CI 0.15–0.93 and HR 0.30, CI 0.12–0.73, respectively). The incidence of ACS in cancer patients is low but 1-year mortality rates are high. Guideline-recommended management was frequently underused. Our results suggest that invasive approach and aspirin use are associated with better survival regardless of cancer stage and eligibility for cancer treatment.