Aim
Soluble suppression of tumorigenicity‐2 (sST2) is a strong prognostic biomarker in heart failure. The emerging understanding of circadian biology in cardiovascular disease may lead to novel applications in prognosis and diagnosis and may provide insight into mechanistic aspects of the disease–biomarker interaction. So far, it is unknown whether sST2 exhibits a diurnal rhythm. Repeated measurements of sST2 may aid in clinical decision making. The goal of this study was to investigate whether sST2 exhibits diurnal variation in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) and in control subjects, thereby enhancing its diagnostic and prognostic values.
Methods and results
The study comprised 32 subjects: 16 HFrEF patients and 16 controls. Blood was collected at seven subsequent time points during a 24 h time period. sST2, N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide (NT‐proBNP), melatonin, and cortisol were measured from serum. Peak values of sST2 clustered at daytime (modal value: 5 p.m.) in 87.6% of all subjects (81.3% of patients, P = 0.021; 93.8% of controls, P = 0.001), and minimum concentrations at night‐time (modal value: 5 a.m.) in 84.4% (87.5% of patients, P = 0.004 81.3% of controls, P = 0.021). A cosinor analysis of mean normalized sST2 values revealed significant cosine shaped 24 h oscillations of patients (P = 0.026) and controls (P = 0.037). NT‐proBNP in contrast did not show a diurnal rhythm, while melatonin and cortisol patterns were intact in all subjects.
Conclusions
sST2 exhibits a diurnal rhythm with lower values in the morning than in the late afternoon. This new insight could lead to refinement of its diagnostic and prognostic values through specified and consistent sampling times with repeated measurements. For example, by measuring sST2 during the afternoon, when levels are at their highest, false negatives on prognosis prediction could be avoided.
Purpose of Review
The prevalence of cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) is increasing due to improved cancer survival. Serial monitoring of cardiac function is essential to detect CTRCD, guiding timely intervention strategies. Multigated radionuclide angiography (MUGA) has been the main screening tool using left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) to monitor cardiac dysfunction. However, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) may be more suitable for serial assessment. We aimed to assess the concordance between different non-radiating imaging modalities with MUGA to determine whether they can be used interchangeably.
Recent Findings
In order to identify relevant studies, a PubMed search was performed. We included cross-sectional studies comparing MUGA LVEF to that of 2D TTE, 3D TTE, and CMR. From 470 articles, 22 were selected, comprising 1017 patients in total. Among others, this included three 3D TTE, seven 2D harmonic TTE + contrast (2DHC), and seven CMR comparisons. The correlations and Bland-Altman limits of agreement varied for CMR but were stronger for 3D TTE and 2DHC.
Summary
Our findings suggest that MUGA and CMR should not be used interchangeably whereas 3D TTE and 2DHC are appropriate alternatives following an initial MUGA scan. We propose a multimodality diagnostic imaging strategy for LVEF monitoring in patients undergoing cancer treatment.
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