Allegheny Health Network’s Women’s Heart Center Hosts Annual Luncheon to Raise Awareness of Increasing Incidences of Heart Disease Among Breast Cancer Survivors

Luncheon's Keynote Announced Critical Research Grant from the Glimmer of Hope Foundation to the Network's Cardio-Oncology Program

Key Takeaways:

• AHN's Women's Heart Center hosted its annual luncheon to raise awareness of heart disease among breast cancer survivors and the field of cardio-oncology.
• The luncheon announced a research grant from the Glimmer of Hope Foundation to explore cardio-oncology and fund a study on cardiovascular problems in breast cancer survivors.
• Two local cardio-oncology patients shared their cancer survivorship stories and emphasized the importance of research and improved care for heart issues related to breast cancer treatment.

PITTSBURGH - Cardiologists and oncologists from Allegheny Health Network (AHN) joined clinicians, patients and community members on Friday at Allegheny General Hospital (AGH) to host the 15^th annual AHN Women's Heart Luncheon. This year's luncheon raised critical awareness of the growing field of cardio-oncology and celebrated survival stories of local patients.

A new research grant from the Glimmer of Hope Foundation was also announced during the luncheon.

In addition to patient testimonials, remarks at Friday's luncheon were delivered by clinical leads of the network's Cardio-Oncology program, Indu Poornima, MD, and Valentyna Ivanova, MD, as well as the Glimmer of Hope's President and Founder, Diana Napper.

Napper announced a grant that will advance the Foundation's commitment to exploring the growing field of cardio-oncology.

"Cardiovascular complications, specifically cardiotoxicity, have emerged as the second most common cause of morbidity and mortality among breast cancer survivors, especially among women who are diagnosed earlier in life," Napper said. "The Glimmer of Hope Foundation works to improve comprehensive breast cancer care locally, and we recognize the critical need for increased resources and focus on cardio-oncology. We look forward to the continued collaboration with Drs. Poornima and Ivanova as they work to understand and inform the standard of care for this growing specialty."

Thanks to the research grant from the Foundation, the clinical research team at AHN's Cardio-Oncology Center will launch a retrospective study to determine the incidence of cardiovascular problems - heart failure, cardiomyopathy, ischemic heart disease, stroke, arrhythmia and hypertension - in breast cancer survivors aged 20 to 64 years old, all of whom underwent cancer treatment at AHN.

The study will also investigate the rates of co-existing cardiovascular conditions at the time of cancer diagnosis.

"The co-existence of breast cancer and heart disease makes the field of cardio-oncology a special focus for AHN," said Dr. Poornima, director of clinical cardiology and imaging at AHN and medical director of the AHN Women's Heart Center. "Among women aged younger than 65 years old who have undergone chemotherapy treatments, up to 16 percent of them will develop heart disease within 10 years, compared to breast cancer patients who did not undergo chemo. This patient population has so much more life ahead of them, so it's absolutely critical that we work to better understand cardiotoxicity and improve the overall standard of care in these complex cases."

Cardiotoxicity is a form of heart damage that can be caused by cancer treatments like radiation, chemotherapy, and immune- and hormone-based therapies. As cancer therapies become more advanced and life expectancy increases for oncology patients, heart disease has become more prevalent among cancer survivors, triggering a growth of the cardio-oncology sub-specialty.

On Friday, two local cardio-oncology patients shared their stories of cancer survivorship as well as subsequent cardiovascular disease diagnoses:

• Kate Crawford of Rostraver (Westmoreland County) was diagnosed at 28 years old with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer. At an extremely advanced stage, her doctors originally gave her 18-24 months to live, but Kate is now in remission - 12 years later. She shared her cancer journey as well as care under the AHN Cardio-Oncology program as she faced subsequent heart complications stemming from aggressive cancer therapies.
  
  
• Patricia Downing, a 60-year-old social worker from Lawrence County, was diagnosed at 21 years old with cardiovascular disease stemming from Carney complex, a skin condition that can also lead to heart tumors. She has battled congestive heart failure, atrial myxomas, and ventricular tachycardia requiring pacemakers and defibrillators. Downing later received a breast cancer diagnosis in 2012, and radiation therapy (in combination with chemotherapy treatment) significantly impacted her heart's ejection fraction. Under the care of the AHN Cancer Institute and Cardio-Oncology Center, Patricia is now living cancer-free with a healthier heart.

"I want to extend my sincere gratitude to the Glimmer of Hope Foundation as well as the patients who joined us this afternoon to share their stories," said Dr. Ivanova. "It's my hope that our work in this field will lead to improved care for complex cardiovascular issues connected to breast cancer, and will advance evidence-backed care plans for our patients, allowing women to get back to their families and their lives, sooner."

Earlier this year, AGH announced it has been recognized as an esteemed Gold-Level Center of Excellence by the International Cardio-Oncology Society, joining just 14 other gold-level institutions across six countries in this year's class.

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