Atherosclerotic disease and cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors: a case-control study.

Objective: Breast cancer (BC) therapies and the longevity that the women achieve imply a higher cardiovascular risk. The aim of the study was to evaluate the frequency of atherosclerotic disease and its association with cardiovascular risk factors in postmenopausal breast cancer survivors (BCS) compared to postmenopausal women without BC.

Methods: In this study, 96 women with BC (case group) were compared to 192 women without BC (control group), age range 45-75 years. The case group included women with a histological diagnosis of BC, amenorrhea ≥ 12 months, and age ≥ 45 years, without metastatic disease or cardiovascular disease (CVD). The control group consisted of women with amenorrhea ≥ 12 months and age ≥ 45 years, without BC or CVD. Total cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein, low-density lipoprotein, triglycerides, glucose, and insulin were measured. Atherosclerotic disease was determined by increased intima-media thickness (thickness > 1.0 mm) of the carotid arteries and/or presence of atheromatous plaques evaluated by carotid duplex ultrasound.

Results: The frequency of diabetes and metabolic syndrome were higher in BCS compared to controls (19.8% vs. 6.8% and 54.2% vs. 37.0%, respectively, p < 0.05). There was no difference in subclinical atherosclerosis between groups (BCS 26% vs. controls 18.7%, p = 0.062). However, atheromatous plaques were more frequent in BCS compared to controls (19.8% vs. 9.4%, p = 0.013). In the risk analysis, adjusted for age, time since menopause, and body mass index, BCS had a 2.4-fold higher risk of atheromatous plaques (odds ratio = 2.42; 95% confidence interval 1.18-4.93, p = 0.033) than women without BC.

Conclusion: Postmenopausal BCS had a higher risk of developing atherosclerotic disease, associated with a higher frequency of cardiovascular risk factors such as metabolic syndrome and diabetes, when compared to women of the same age group without BC.