Researchers have developed an innovative artificial intelligence tool to assess the risk of subsequent heart attacks in cancer patients. Those who experience a heart attack often face heightened dangers due to compromised cardiovascular health, increasing their chances of death, severe bleeding, or additional cardiac incidents.
Cancer can elevate risks of bleeding or arterial clotting based on tumor type, necessitating tailored anti-platelet therapies for prevention after an initial event. Previously, physicians lacked a standardized method to guide care for this high-risk population. An international team, led by experts at the University of Leicester, has created the first specialized risk prediction model for these patients.
Introducing the ONCO-ACS Model
Dubbed ONCO-ACS, this AI-driven tool integrates cancer-specific factors with routine clinical information to forecast the likelihood of death, major bleeding, or recurrent cardiac events within six months. The model draws from an analysis of over one million heart attack cases across England, Sweden, and Switzerland, including more than 47,000 individuals with cancer.
Dr. Florian A. Wenzl, an honorary fellow at the University of Leicester and lead author of the study, emphasized the oversight in research for this group. “Cancer patients with heart attacks have long been neglected in clinical research, despite being one of the most challenging groups we see in cardiology,” he stated. The findings reveal stark outcomes: nearly one in three such patients dies within six months, about one in 14 experiences a major bleed, and one in six suffers another heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death.
Wenzl added, “Now this new tool is able to give doctors reliable information to tailor treatment and balance the benefits and harms.” Advances in treating both heart disease and cancer have led to more overlapping cases, presenting cardiologists and oncologists with complex challenges. The team addresses this through real-world data analysis.
Potential Impact on Clinical Practice
Progress in heart disease and cancer management has fostered coexistence of these conditions, resulting in a rising number of patients with both. The ONCO-ACS score aims to integrate into routine care, aiding decisions on catheter procedures and antiplatelet regimens. It offers a validated framework to apply clinical guidelines and supports the design of future trials to enhance outcomes.
Professor David Adlam, an interventional cardiologist in the University of Leicester’s Department of Cardiovascular Sciences and senior author, highlighted the evolving landscape. The study received funding from Cancer Research UK and the British Heart Foundation, with support from Health Data Research UK’s Big Data for Complex Diseases Driver Programme.
Professor Thomas F. Lüscher from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London and the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals noted, “By accounting for both cancer and heart disease, ONCO-ACS marks a step towards truly personalised medicine.” The research appears in The Lancet.
