Incidence and Risk Factors of Coronary Calcifications on Staging and Follow-Up CT Chest in Cancer Patients in Saudi Arabia

Objectives: Cardiovascular diseases have collectively remained as the leading causes of mortality globally. This study aimed to determine the incidence and risk factors of coronary calcifications (CC) on staging and follow-up CT chest. Methods: In this retrospective study, we collected 124 patients who have been diagnosed with previous malignancies in Saudi Arabia from October to June 2024. Results: We had 75 (60.5%) females compared to 49 (39.5%) males, with an age range from 1 to 86 years, and a mean age of 56.71 years (SD = 15.9). Common cardiac risk factors in this study were hypertension (23.4%) and diabetes (21.8%). The most frequent treatment type used for these patients was chemotherapy (63.7%), followed by radiotherapy (18.5%). Out of the 124 patients, 30.6% exhibited coronary calcifications. Significant predictors of coronary calcifications include gender (p < 0.001), age (p < 0.001), hypertension (p = 0.019), diabetes (p = 0.002), and dyslipidemia (p = 0.016). Regression model showed that males (p = 0.006) and older age groups (p < 0.05) have significantly higher odds of having coronary calcifications. Diabetes, with close significance values (p = 0.064), could potentially be a significant risk factor in a larger population. Conclusion: Reporting of coronary calcifications on staging and follow-up CT scans is a potential approach to identify patients at high risk of cardiovascular disease events who would benefit from preventive interventions.