Are Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin patients at a greater risk of atherosclerosis? A follow-up of 3 years.

Aims and background are to ascertain whether Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin patients are more affected by atherosclerotic process. We studied 96 patients during a period of 3 years (2003-2007). Patients were assessed in the first year soon after receiving radiotherapy and chemotherapy and then reassessed in the third year. All the cases underwent echo-colour Doppler of the carotid axis, and the intima-media thickness (IMT) was measured. When the two time points were compared, the IMT was greater in the arterial district examined at the first assessment; while at the second there was a reduction in the IMT, so patients seemed to improve with time. Flow-mediated dilatation did not improve. Hodgkin and non-Hodgkin patients experience an increase in IMT during treatment, but afterwards they return in their precedent condition. They seem to have a persistently reduced flow-mediated dilatation. Lymphoma therapy probably predisposes patients to early atherosclerosis, and it would be worth trying to reverse this tendency by administering antioxidant therapy.