Kikuchi T, Kasai T. Relationship between heart rate variability and cancer management. World J Cardiol 2025; 17(5): 107434 [DOI: 10.4330/wjc.v17.i5.107434]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Takatoshi Kasai, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan. kasai-t@mx6.nisiq.net
Research Domain of This Article
Medicine, General & Internal
Article-Type of This Article
Editorial
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
World J Cardiol. May 26, 2025; 17(5): 107434 Published online May 26, 2025. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v17.i5.107434
Relationship between heart rate variability and cancer management
Takashi Kikuchi, Takatoshi Kasai
Takashi Kikuchi, Makuhari Fuseimyaku Clinic, Chiba 262-0032, Japan
Takatoshi Kasai, Department of Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan
Author contributions: Kikuchi T outline of the manuscript; Kikuchi T and Kasai T contributed to the writing, and editing the manuscript, and review of literature.
Conflict-of-interest statement: Takatoshi Kasai is affiliated with the departments endowed by Philips, ResMed, and Fukuda Denshi. The other author declares no conflicts of interest.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Takatoshi Kasai, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine, 2-1-1 Hongo Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8421, Japan. kasai-t@mx6.nisiq.net
Received: March 24, 2025 Revised: April 6, 2025 Accepted: April 18, 2025 Published online: May 26, 2025 Processing time: 61 Days and 5.3 Hours
Abstract
In patients with advanced cancer, the prevalence rate of cardiac autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is high, and the prognosis of patients with CAN is generally poor. Although mechanisms including inflammation, infection, metabolism, neurodegeneration, toxic processes, and cancer treatment have been proposed as etiologies of CAN in cancer patients, these mechanisms have not been completely elucidated, and their relationship has only been described indirectly. A study involving 127 cancer patients revealed that both the disease and its treatments can lead to a decrease in heart rate variability (HRV) indicating the autonomic imbalance. Because managing CAN is essential for improving the survival and quality of life of patients with cancer, patients and specialists can work together to customize cancer treatment and management using HRV as an index.
Core Tip: Heart rate variability (HRV) serves as an indicator of autonomic nervous system function. A reduction in HRV is associated with system imbalances and potential health concerns in patients with cancer. A study involving 127 cancer patients revealed that both the disease and its treatments can lead to a decrease in HRV. Additionally, psychological factors such as stress and anxiety also influence HRV levels. Therefore, monitoring HRV can aid in the assessment of cancer patients’ health status, prognosis, and the formulation of personalized treatment plans.
