The predictive value of coronary artery calcium deposit for cardiovascular events in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors

Abstract

Background: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have become the standard for treating various cancers. Nevertheless, their use may lead to significant cardiovascular immune-related adverse events (CV irAEs). Objectives: We aimed to assess whether pre-treatment coronary artery calcium (CAC) deposition predicts CV irAEs in patients treated with ICIs. Methods: A retrospective single-center cohort of patients treated with ICIs who performed pre-treatment chest computed tomography. A visual CAC assessment was categorized into Positive or Negative calcium deposits. Patients with pre-existing ischemic heart disease were excluded. The primary endpoint was the composite CV irAEs, including myocarditis, acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, and arrhythmias, and the secondary endpoint was all-cause mortality. Results: The cohort included 240 patients with a median age of 67 (IQR 59–73) years and 47% female. The most prevalent type of cancer was lung cancer (36%), and the prominent ICIs was pembrolizumab (54%). Patients with Positive CAC (38%) were predominantly male, with higher rates of cardiovascular comorbidities. The primary outcome occurred in 36 cases (15%) at a median of 94 (IQR 48–338) days from the first ICIs dose. The Positive CAC group observed a non-significant trend toward a higher hazard for CV irAEs (HR 1.66, 95% CI 0.86–3.21, p = 0.13), with no significant difference in all-cause mortality (HR 1.15, 95% CI 0.88–1.51, p = 0.30). Conclusion: Pre-treatment CAC deposition did not demonstrate an independent predictive role in assessing the risk of CV irAEs and all-cause mortality in patients treated with ICIs.