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Cardiovascular Disease in Thyroid Cancer

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How can you reduce cardiovascular disease in thyroid cancer survivors? By living a heart-healthy lifestyle through nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle therapies.

There is growing research showing that thyroid cancer survivors experience higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD) than people without a cancer history.

The research below indicates that thyroid cancer survivors — like other cancer survivors — have a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular disease than people without a cancer history. This increased risk persists long after cancer treatment and involves multiple cardiovascular outcomes, including CHD, stroke, and heart failure.

Shared risk factors, treatment-related cardiotoxicity, and cancer-related biological changes all appear to play roles. These findings underscore the importance of integrated survivorship care that addresses heart health alongside cancer monitoring.

I have posted the video below because it explains the problem of cardiovascular disease in thyroid cancer survivors, and it explains what to do about it. 

Cardiovascular Disease in the Modern Cancer Survivor

I am a long-term cancer survivor of an incurable blood cancer called multiple myeloma. I was diagnosed with chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy in late 2015, fully 15 years after my oncologist prescribed cardiotoxic chemotherapy to me.

The cardio-oncologist prescribed a common heart medication called metoprolol. I think thyroid cancer survivors may benefit from conventional heart therapies. My purpose in writing this blog is not to condemn conventional heart therapy but rather to promote heart-healthy nutrition, supplementation, and lifestyle.

However, I reacted to the medication and discontinued taking it. I researched evidence-based, heart-healthy therapies that I could pursue on my own, such as exercise, CoQ10, curcumin, omega-3 fatty acids, etc.

Annual echocardiograms over the years have indicated the other heart damage issues below.

I was able to lower my blood pressure, increase my ejection fraction, and stabilize my heart health. I have been able to live without conventional heart medication since 2015.

Again, conventional cardiology should be a part of your long-term survivor plan. I am just saying that evidence-based non-conventional heart health should be included too.

Scroll down the page, post a question or a comment if you’d like to learn more about non-conventional heart health therapies.

Good luck,

David Emerson

  • Cancer Survivor
  • Cancer Coach
  • Director PeopleBeatingCancer

Abstract

Introduction: Long-term cardiovascular (CV) risk is a concern for differentiated thyroid cancer (DTC) survivors.

Methods: We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the risks of CV mortality and morbidity in DTC survivors compared with the general population. Respective meta-analyses were conducted for data that were adjusted for relevant confounders and crude data.

We searched five electronic databases from inception to October 2021, supplemented with a hand search. Two reviewers independently screened citations, reviewed full-text articles, extracted data, and critically appraised the studies, with discrepancies resolved by a third reviewer.

The primary outcome was CV mortality. Secondary outcomes included atrial fibrillation, ischemic heart disease, stroke, and heart failure. We estimated the relative risk (RR) and confidence intervals [CI] of outcomes using random-effects models (adjusted for age and gender), compared with the general population.

Results: We reviewed 3409 unique citations, 65 full-text articles, and included 7 studies. CV mortality risk was significantly increased in DTC survivors in one study adjusted for confounders-adjusted RR (aRR) 3.35 ([CI 1.66-6.67]; 524 DTC, 1572 controls).

The risk of CV morbidity in DTC survivors, adjusted for risk factors, was estimated as follows: atrial fibrillation-aRR 1.66 [CI 1.22-2.27] (3 studies, 4428 DTC, I2 = 75%), ischemic heart disease-aRR 0.97 [CI 0.84-1.13] (2 studies, 3910 DTC, I2 = 0%), stroke-aRR 1.14 [CI 0.84-1.55] (2 studies, 3910 DTC, I2 = 69%), and heart failure-aRR 0.98 [CI 0.60-1.59] (2 studies, 3910 DTC, I2 = 79%).

In meta-analyses of unadjusted data, the risks of CV mortality were not significantly increased but the CV morbidity risks were similar to adjusted data.

Conclusions: There is limited evidence suggesting that DTC survivors may be at an increased risk of CV death and atrial fibrillation (after adjustment for confounders). We did not observe a significantly increased risk of ischemic heart disease, stroke, or heart failure. Most analyses were subject to significant heterogeneity and further research, with careful attention to CV risk factors, is needed to clarify CV risk in DTC survivors.

Registration: PROSPERO CRD42021244743.

cardiovascular disease in thyroid cancer survivors cardiovascular disease in thyroid cancer survivors

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