Left Ventricular Assist Devices in Patients With Active Malignancies

BACKGROUND There are limited data to guide oncology and cardiology decision-making in patients with a left ventricular assist device (LVAD) and concurrent active malignancy. OBJECTIVES The goal of this study was to describe cancer treatment approaches, complications, and survival among patients with active cancer on LVAD support in 2 tertiary heart failure and oncology programs. METHODS In this retrospective cohort study, LVAD databases were reviewed to identify patients with a cancer diagnosis at the time of or after LVAD implantation. We created a 3:1 matched cohort based on age, sex, etiology of cardiomyopathy, LVAD implant strategy, and INTERMACS profile stratified by site. Kaplan-Meier analysis and Cox proportional hazards models were used to compare survival between patients with cancer and non-cancer comparators. RESULTS Among 1,123 patients who underwent LVAD implantation between 2005 and 2019, 22 patients with LVADs with active cancer and 66 matched non-cancer comparators were identified. Median age was 62 years (range 41 to 73 years); 50% of patients with cancer were African-American, and 27% were women. Prostate cancer, followed by renal cell cancer and hematologic malignancies were the most common diagnoses. There was no significant difference in unadjusted KaplanMeier median survival estimates from the time of LVAD placement between patients with cancer (3.53 years; 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.41 to 5.33) and non-cancer comparators (3.03 years; 95% CI: 1.83 to 5.26; tog-rank P = 0.99). In Cox proportional hazard models, cancer diagnosis as a time-varying variable was associated with a statistically significant increase in death (hazard ratio: 2.05; 95% CI: 1.03 to 4.12; P 0.04). Patients with cancer had less gastrointestinal bleeding compared with matched non-cancer comparators (P = 0.016). Other complications were not significantly different. CONCLUSIONS Our study provides initial feasibility and safety data and set a framework for multidisciplinary team management of patients with cancer and LVADs. (C) 2021 The Authors. Published by Elsevier on behalf of the American College of Cardiology Foundation.

Automated summary

The study described cancer treatment approaches, complications, and survival among patients with active cancer on LVAD support. Cancer diagnosis was associated with an increased risk of death. Patients with cancer had fewer gastrointestinal bleeding compared with non-cancer comparators.