Extensive Coronary Artery Calcium on Chest CT Prognostic for Death, CVD
MONDAY, Dec. 2, 2024 -- Among individuals undergoing low-dose chest computed tomography (CT) for lung cancer, extensive coronary artery calcium is associated with all-cause death and cardiovascular events, according to a study published online Dec. 2 in CMAJ, the journal of the Canadian Medical Association.
Marcella Cabral Caires, M.D., from the University of Ottawa Heart Institute in Ontario, Canada, and colleagues examined the prevalence and prognostic utility of coronary artery calcium in a population at high risk for cancer. CT scans from consecutive participants screened for lung cancer between March 2017 and November 2018 were reviewed. Coronary artery calcium was quantified, and the composite primary outcome of all-cause death and cardiovascular events was identified using linked electronic medical record data.
The researchers found that coronary artery calcium was detected in 82.9 percent of the 1,486 people who underwent screening CT and was extensive in 29.5 percent. Extensive coronary artery calcium was associated with the composite primary outcome, all-cause death, and cardiovascular events in a multivariable analysis (hazard ratios, 2.13, 2.39, and 2.06, respectively). After adjustment for noncardiovascular death as a competing risk, extensive coronary artery calcium remained predictive of cardiovascular events (hazard ratio, 2.05).
"We have shown that even in the presence of cancer and other noncardiovascular deaths, extensive coronary artery calcium predicts cardiovascular events and all-cause death," the authors write. "Prospective studies to investigate appropriate clinical response to coincidental coronary artery calcium are needed."
Several authors disclosed ties to the biopharmaceutical industry.
Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.
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