The relationship between ischaemic heart disease and chemotherapy for the treatment of colorectal cancer

Project Reference Number – 0065

Principle Investigator – Rebecca Birch and Alice Dewdney

Plain language summary - Heart disease is affecting an increasing number of people. Ischaemic heart disease (where the blood flow to the heart tissue is reduced) is a leading cause of death globally and in the UK, 6% of men and 3% of women suffer from it. Like bowel cancer, it is known to be more common in older people.

Patients with Ischaemic Heart Disease are known to have worse outcomes after chemotherapy treatment. It is therefore important to consider whether a bowel cancer patient has Ischaemic heart disease before starting chemotherapy treatment as it can sometimes make pre-existing heart problems worse or can cause them to develop.

This study aims to understand more about patients who have both bowel cancer and ischemic heart disease. The study will look at the types of treatment offered to bowel cancer patients with Ischaemic heart disease in England and look at the relationship between the use of chemotherapy and patient outcomes.