This observational study will evaluate whether annual low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) testing is associated with improved cardiovascular preventive care and a lower risk of cardiovascular events among cancer survivors.
The study will use nationwide health insurance and cancer registry data from Korea. Adults with a history of cancer who are alive at least 1 year after cancer diagnosis, have no prior major cardiovascular disease, and are not receiving statin therapy at the start of an eligible study period will be included.
The investigators will compare cancer survivors who undergo LDL-C testing with similar cancer survivors who do not undergo LDL-C testing. Participants will not be assigned to receive testing or treatment by the investigators. Instead, routinely collected health care data will be analyzed.
The main outcome will be major adverse cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, including cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, stroke, and coronary revascularization. The study will also examine whether LDL-C testing is associated with subsequent initiation of statin therapy.
The findings may help determine whether routine lipid testing can support cardiovascular disease prevention as part of long-term survivorship care for people with cancer.