ONCO-ACS: AI risk score for cancer patients after heart attack

Treating cancer patients after myocardial infarction can be complex because oncology-related factors interact with classic cardiovascular risks. Many patients with cancer have been systematically excluded from clinical trials and existing risk scores, leaving female and male doctors without a standard tool to guide therapy in this vulnerable group.

An international team led by the University of Zurich (UZH) developed what it describes as the first risk prediction model designed specifically for cancer patients who have had a heart attack.

The outcomes underline the clinical need for improved prognostic tools: nearly one in three cancer patients died within six months, around one in 14 suffered a major bleed, and one in six experienced another heart attack, stroke, or cardiovascular death. “To provide targeted treatment for these patients, clinicians need more accurate tools to assess individual risk profiles,” says first author Florian A. Wenzl from the Center for Molecular Cardiology at UZH and the National Health Service England.

To address this gap, the researchers developed ONCO-ACS. The tool applies artificial intelligence to combine cancer-related factors with standard clinical data and predict the likelihood of death, major bleeding, or another cardiac event within six months. The findings also emphasize the close interplay between cancer and cardiovascular disease, which are often managed as separate entities.

“Depending on the tumor characteristics, cancer patients can be at elevated risk of bleeding, of arterial blood clotting, or both – each requiring different anti-platelet medication for secondary prevention after the acute event,” notes Wenzl.

According to the authors, ONCO-ACS provides clinically relevant information to tailor therapy and balance benefit and harm, especially when considering invasive procedures, catheter-based treatment, and antiplatelet therapy after acute coronary events.

“By accounting for both cancer and heart disease, ONCO-ACS marks a step towards truly personalized medicine. It can help doctors decide who benefits from invasive procedures and intensive drug therapy, and who may be at greater risk of harm,” explains senior author Professor Thomas F. Lüscher from the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College London and the Royal Brompton and Harefield Hospitals.

The team hopes the ONCO-ACS score will be integrated into clinical practice and support future trials aimed at improving outcomes for cancer patients after heart attack.

MEDICA-tradefair.com; Source: University of Zurich