No abstract

No abstract

Background Because cancer patients survive longer, the impact of cardiotoxicity associated with the use of cancer treatments escalates. The present study investigates whether early alterations of myocardial strain and blood biomarkers predict incident cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer during treatment with anthracyclines, taxanes, and trastuzumab. Methods and Results Eighty-one women with newly diagnosed human epidermal growth factor receptor 2–positive breast cancer, treated with anthracyclines followed by taxanes and trastuzumab were enrolled to be evaluated every 3 months during their cancer therapy (total of 15 months) using echocardiograms and blood samples. Left ventricular ejection fraction, peak systolic longitudinal, radial, and circumferential myocardial strain were calculated. Ultrasensitive troponin I, N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide, and the interleukin family member (ST2) were also measured. Left ventricular ejection fraction decreased (64 ± 5% to 59 ± 6%; P<0.0001) over 15 months. Twenty-six patients (32%, [22%–43%]) developed cardiotoxicity as defined by the Cardiac Review and Evaluation Committee Reviewing Trastuzumab; of these patients, 5 (6%, [2%–14%]) had symptoms of heart failure. Peak systolic longitudinal myocardial strain and ultrasensitive troponin I measured at the completion of anthracyclines treatment predicted the subsequent development of cardiotoxicity; no significant associations were observed for left ventricular ejection fraction, N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide, and ST2. Longitudinal strain was <19% in all patients who later developed heart failure. Conclusions In patients with breast cancer treated with anthracyclines, taxanes, and trastuzumab, systolic longitudinal myocardial strain and ultrasensitive troponin I measured at the completion of anthracyclines therapy are useful in the prediction of subsequent cardiotoxicity and may help guide treatment to avoid cardiac side-effects.

Objectives The aim of this study was to determine if individual or multiple biomarkers are associated with cardiotoxicity in patients with breast cancer undergoing cancer therapy. Background Current methods to identify patients at risk for cardiotoxicity from cancer therapy are inadequate. Methods We measured 8 biomarkers in a multicenter cohort of 78 patients with breast cancer undergoing doxorubicin and trastuzumab therapy: ultrasensitive troponin I (TnI), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (CRP), N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), growth differentiation factor (GDF)-15, myeloperoxidase (MPO), placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor (sFlt)-1, and galectin (gal)-3. Cardiotoxicity, defined by the Cardiac Review and Evaluation Committee criteria, was assessed every 3 months for up to 15 months. Hazard ratios (HRs) of cardiotoxicity risk were assessed for each biomarker at baseline, at visit 2 (3 months), and as a function of the difference between visit 2 and baseline. Joint models were assessed for the most promising biomarkers. Results TnI, CRP, GDF-15, MPO, PlGF, and sFlt-1 levels increased from baseline to visit 2 (p < 0.05). A greater risk of cardiotoxicity was associated with interval changes in TnI (HR: 1.38 per SD; 95% confidence interval: 1.05 to 1.81; p = 0.02) and MPO (HR: 1.34 per SD; 95% confidence interval: 1.00 to 1.80; p = 0.048) and in models combining both markers (p = 0.007 and p = 0.03, respectively). The risk of cardiotoxicity was 46.5% in patients with the largest changes in both markers (ΔTnI >121.8 μg/l; ΔMPO >422.6 pmol/l). Conclusions Early increases in TnI and MPO levels offer additive information about the risk of cardiotoxicity in patients undergoing doxorubicin and trastuzumab therapy. Independent validation of these findings is necessary before application to clinical practice.

BACKGROUND Biomarkers may play an important role in identifying patients at risk for cancer therapy cardiotoxicity. Our objectives were to define the patterns of change in biomarkers with cancer therapy and their associations with cardiotoxicity. METHODS In a multicenter cohort of 78 breast cancer patients undergoing doxorubicin and trastuzumab therapy, 8 biomarkers were evaluated at baseline and every 3 months over a maximum follow-up of 15 months. These biomarkers, hypothesized to be mechanistically relevant to cardiotoxicity, included high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI), high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), N-terminal pro–B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), growth differentiation factor 15 (GDF-15), myeloperoxidase (MPO), placental growth factor (PlGF), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase receptor-1 (sFlt-1), and galectin 3 (gal-3). We determined if biomarker increases were associated with cardiotoxicity at the same visit and the subsequent visit over the entire course of therapy. Cardiotoxicity was defined by the Cardiac Review and Evaluation Criteria; alternative definitions were also considered. RESULTS Across the entire cohort, all biomarkers except NT-proBNP and gal-3 demonstrated increases by 3 months; these increases persisted for GDF-15, PlGF, and hs-cTnI at 15 months. Increases in MPO, PlGF, and GDF-15 were associated with cardiotoxicity at the same visit [MPO hazard ratio 1.38 (95% CI 1.10–1.71), P = 0.02; PlGF 3.78 (1.30–11.0), P = 0.047; GDF-15 1.71 (1.15–2.55), P = 0.01] and the subsequent visit. MPO was robust to alternative outcome definitions. CONCLUSIONS Increases in MPO are associated with cardiotoxicity over the entire course of doxorubicin and trastuzumab therapy. Assessment with PlGF and GDF-15 may also be of value. These findings motivate validation studies in additional cohorts.

Cardiac tumors are a rare entity, comprised of tumors with diverse histology and natural history. We report the clinical characteristics, echocardiograhic findings, therapy and outcome of 59 patients with primary and metastatic cardiac tumors. Our institutional echocardiogram data base from 1993 through 2005 was reviewed to identify patients diagnosed with intra-cardiac tumor. A total of 59 patients with cardiac tumors were identified and included in the study. The patients' characteristics, presenting symptoms, diagnostic tests, location, histology of the tumor, treatment and the one year survival rate of this population was collected from the medical records. Of the 59 cardiac tumor cases, 16 (27%) were primary cardiac tumors and 43 (73%) were secondary cardiac tumors. The most common primary tumor was sarcoma affecting 13 (81%) of the 16 cases. Of these, 5 patients were angiosarcoma, 5 unclassified sarcoma, one myxoid sarcoma and 2 malignant fibrous histiocytoma. The mean age at presentation was 41.1 years, and the most common location was right atrium affecting 6 cases (37.5%). The most common symptom of dyspnea was present in 10 (62.5%) cases. Eleven (25.6%) of the 43 secondary cardiac tumors were metastasis from renal cell carcinoma. The mean age at presentation was 55.4 years. Right atrium was the most frequent location affecting 18 (42%) of the 43 patients. The most common presenting symptom was dyspnea in 15 (35%) cases. For both primary and secondary tumors, dyspnea was the most common symptom and right atrium was most frequently involved. Sarcoma was the most common primary cardiac tumor while metastasis from renal cell carcinoma was the most common secondary tumor.

No abstract

Purpose Patients treated with adjuvant trastuzumab require adequate cardiac monitoring. We describe the patterns of cardiac monitoring and evaluate factors associated with adequate monitoring in a large population-based study of older patients with breast cancer. Patients and Methods Patients age 66 years or older with full Medicare coverage, diagnosed with stage I to III breast cancer between 2005 and 2009, and treated with adjuvant trastuzumab-based chemotherapy were identified in the SEER-Medicare and the Texas Cancer Registry-Medicare databases. The adequacy of cardiac monitoring was determined. Chemotherapy, trastuzumab use, cardiac monitoring, and comorbidities were identified by using International Classification of Diseases, 9th revision and Healthcare Common Procedure Coding System codes. Prescribing physician characteristics were also evaluated. Analyses included descriptive statistics and multilevel logistic regression models. Results In all, 2,203 patients were identified; median age was 72 years. Adequate monitoring was identified in only 36.0% of the patients (n = 793). In the multivariable model, factors associated with optimal cardiac monitoring included a more recent year of diagnosis (hazard ratio [HR], 1.83; 95% CI, 1.32 to 2.54), anthracycline use (HR, 1.39; 95% CI, 1.14 to 1.71), female prescribing physician (HR, 1.37; 95% CI, 1.10 to 1.70), and physician graduating after 1990 (HR, 1.66; 95% CI, 1.29 to 2.12). The presence of cardiac comorbidities was not a determinant for cardiac monitoring. Of the variance in the adequacy of cardiac monitoring, 15.3% was attributable to physician factors and 5.2% to measured patient factors. Conclusion A large proportion of patients had suboptimal cardiac monitoring. Physician characteristics had more influence than measured patient-level factors in the adequacy of cardiac monitoring. Because trastuzumab-related cardiotoxicity is reversible, efforts to improve the adequacy of cardiac monitoring are needed, particularly in vulnerable populations.