SYDNEY, Sept. 24 (Xinhua) -- Older cancer survivors are more likely to experience strokes, heart attacks and hospitalization for heart failure, a new Australian study has found.
According to the study, which was published on Monday by Monash University, rates of stroke, heart attack and hospital admission for heart failure were twice as high for adults aged 70 and over who had developed cancer than for those who had not.
The research team analyzed data from the long-term Aspirin in Reducing Events in the Elderly (ASPREE) study following 15,454 participants aged 70 and over in the U.S. and Australia.
Of the 15,454 participants, 1,392 developed cancer over an average timeframe of 4.6 years.
The study found that those with metastatic, blood and lung cancers were the most likely to experience a cardiovascular disease event such as stroke, heart attack or heart failure hospitalization.
Chemotherapy was linked to double the risk of cardiovascular disease events compared to other cancer therapies.
"It's positive that more people are surviving cancer and living a long life. But it means we have a growing cohort of older people who could be at risk of health conditions related to the illness itself as well as from its treatment," Suzanne Orchard, lead author of the research from Monash's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said in a media release.
"This study adds to the growing body of data that shows those who have experienced cancer and cancer treatment face elevated risk of cardiovascular disease," she said. "While this is unwelcome news for cancer patients, the cardiovascular risk can be mitigated by early screening and preventative measures."
The ongoing ASPREE project aims to discover new ways to maintain health, quality of life and independence with age. It is led by Monash University and the Berman Center for Outcomes & Clinical Research in the United States and funded by the U.S. National Institutes of Health and Australia's National Health and Medical Research Council. ■