Heart Failure Affects Long-Term Survival Among Older Women With Breast Cancer

Research has shown that women aged 65 and older who have breast cancer experience higher rates of heart failure compared to their age-matched counterparts, ranging from 29% of women with breast cancer who received no chemotherapy to 38% of women who received treatment with anthracyclines. However, little is known about the association between heart failure and long-term survival in older women with breast cancer, and it is unclear how the relative contribution of heart failure to mortality risk varies by breast cancer stage.

In their advanced print article from the January 2018 issue of the Oncology Nursing Forum, Harrison et al. reported on the results of their retrospective cohort study that examined the association between heart failure and long-term survival in older women with breast cancer and how oncology nurses can use the findings to improve survivorship care.