Arterial Stiffness Assessed By Pulse Wave Velocity as a Predictor of Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Cancer Patients.

BACKGROUND: Cancer patients are at increased risk of coronary artery disease. Vascular dysfunction is first reflected as arterial stiffness, which can be assessed by pulse wave velocity (PWV). AIM: This study aims to appraise whether PWV is a clinical indicator of arterial stiffness. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A case-control observational study was undertaken in a tertiary teaching hospital among 589 participants, including 197 cancer patients undergoing treatment and 392 age-matched controls. Arterial stiffness and hemodynamic parameters were measured noninvasively using the Diabetes Risk Profiler system based on PeriScope® technology. Statistical analysis included comparison of means, correlation analysis, and multiple linear regression. RESULTS: Cancer patients showed significantly higher heart rate, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse pressure, brachial-ankle PWV, carotid-femoral PWV, aortic pulse pressure, augmentation pressure, and augmentation index than controls, while ankle-brachial index was significantly lower (all P < 0.001). In cancer patients, PWV showed strong positive correlations with age and systolic blood pressure. CONCLUSION: Cancer patients undergoing treatment have markedly increased arterial stiffness and altered vascular function compared with controls. PWV may be a useful, simple, and noninvasive marker for early cardiovascular risk assessment in cardio-oncology practice.