Are aromatase inhibitors associated with higher myocardial infarction risk in breast cancer patients? A Medicare population-based study. Clin Cardiol 2019 Jan;42(1):93-100
Date
11/18/2018Pubmed ID
30443921Pubmed Central ID
PMC6344290DOI
10.1002/clc.23114Scopus ID
2-s2.0-85058116490 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 27 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Theoretically, the estrogen deprivation induced by aromatase inhibitors (AIs) might cause ischemic heart disease, but empiric studies have shown mixed results. We aimed to compare AIs and tamoxifen with regard to cardiovascular events among older breast cancer patients outside of clinical trials. We hypothesized that AIs increase the risk of myocardial infarction.
METHODS: We identified women age ≥67 years diagnosed with breast cancer from June 30, 2006 to June 1, 2008 in the surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER)-Medicare database, treated with either tamoxifen or an AI, and followed through December 31, 2012. To compare myocardial infarction (MI) risk for the treatment groups of AIs vs tamoxifen, we developed and assigned stabilized probability of treatment weights and used the Fine and Gray model for time to MI with death not related to MI as a competing risk.
RESULTS: Of the cohort of 5648 women, 4690 were treated with AIs and 958 with tamoxifen; a total of 251 patients developed MI, and 22 patients died of MI during the study period while 476 died of other causes. The hazard for MI was not significantly different between AI vs tamoxifen groups (HR = 1.01, 95% CI 0.72-1.42), after adjusting for the following known MI risk factors at the start of adjuvant therapy: diabetes, ischemic heart disease, congestive heart failure, MI, and peripheral vascular disease.
CONCLUSIONS: In this SEER-Medicare-based population study, there were no significant differences in the risk of MI between AI and tamoxifen users after adjustment for known risk factors.
Author List
Kamaraju S, Shi Y, Smith E, Nattinger AB, Laud P, Neuner JAuthors
Sailaja Kamaraju MD Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of WisconsinPurushottam W. Laud PhD Adjunct Professor in the Data Science Institute department at Medical College of Wisconsin
Ann B. Nattinger MD, MPH Associate Provost, Professor in the Medicine department at Medical College of Wisconsin
MESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AgedAged, 80 and over
Antineoplastic Agents, Hormonal
Aromatase Inhibitors
Breast Neoplasms
Female
Humans
Incidence
Medicare
Myocardial Infarction
Prognosis
Risk Factors
SEER Program
Tamoxifen
United States
