Lymphoma patients with cardiovascular disease have increased risk of cardiac hospitalization
Older patients with Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) and a history of heart disease face a high risk of hospitalization for cardiac complications after completing treatment, according to research published online today in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology. HL is a form of cancer of arising in the lymph nodes, and approximately 8,500 people were diagnosed with the disease in 2009, according to the American Cancer Society. Treatment for HL typically includes the drug doxorubicin as part of chemotherapy and may also include radiation therapy to lymph nodes in the chest. Although treatment produces high cure rates, these treatments can also be toxic to the heart. This makes treating patients with pre-existing heart disease particularly challenging.