Cardiotoxicity and Cardiac Monitoring Among Chemotherapy-Treated Breast Cancer Patients

Role of Early Left Atrial Functional Decline in Predicting Cardiotoxicity in HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Patients Treated With Trastuzumab

Trastuzumab is widely used in HER2 breast cancer. However, it may cause left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. A decrease in LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) has been previously demonstrated to be a good predictor of subsequent cancer therapy related dysfunction (CTRCD). Left atrial morphological remodeling during Trastuzumab therapy has also been shown. The aim of this study is exploring the relationship between early changes in left atrial function and the development of Trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity. Consecutive patients with diagnosis of HER2+non-metastatic breast cancer treated with Trastuzumab were prospectively enrolled. A clinical, conventional, and advanced echocardiographic assessment was performed at baseline and every three months, until a one-year follow-up was reached. One-hundred-sixteen patients completed the 12 months follow-up, 10 (9%) cases of CTRCD were observed, all after the sixth month. GLS and LVEF significantly decreased in the CTRCD group at 6 months of follow-up, with an earlier (3 months) significant worsening in left atrial morpho-functional parameters. Systolic blood pressure, early peak atrial longitudinal strain (PALS), peak atrial contraction (PACS) and left atrial volume (LAVI) changes resulted independent predictors of CTRCD at multivariable logistic regression analysis. Moreover, early changes in PALS and PACS resulted good predictors of CTRCD development (AUC 0.85; p = 0.008, p < 0.001 and 0.77; p = 0.008, respectively). This prospective study emphasizes that the decline in PALS and PACS among trastuzumab-treated patients could possibly increase the accuracy in identifying future CTRCD in non-metastatic HER2 breast cancer cases, adding predictive value to conventional echocardiographic assessment.

Comparison of Echocardiography and Multi-Planar Gated Acquisition Scans for Predicting Cancer-Treatment-Related Cardiovascular Dysfunction

BACKGROUND

Current guidelines recommend using sequential cardiac imaging to monitor for cancer treatment-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) in patients undergoing potentially cardiotoxic chemotherapy. Multiple different imaging cardiac modalities are available and there are few prospective head-to-head comparative studies to help guide treatment.

OBJECTIVES

To perform an exploratory prospective cohort study of "real-world" CTRCD comparing multigated acquisition nuclear ventriculography (MUGA) at the referring cancer specialist's discretion with a novel echocardiographic strategy at an Australian tertiary hospital.

METHOD

Patients were recruited from haematology and oncology outpatient clinics if they were scheduled for treatment with anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab. Patients underwent simultaneous MUGA-based cardiac imaging (conventional strategy) at a frequency according to evidenced-based guidelines in addition to researcher-conducted echocardiographic imaging. The echocardiographic imaging was performed in all patients at time points recommended by international society guidelines. Outcomes included adherence to guideline recommendations, concordance between MUGA and echocardiographic left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) measurements, and detection of cardiac dysfunction (defined as >5% LVEF decrement from baseline by three-dimensional [3D]-LVEF). A secondary end point was accuracy of global longitudinal strain in predicting cardiac dysfunction.

RESULTS

In total, 35 patients were recruited, including 15 with breast cancer, 19 with haematological malignancy, and one with gastric cancer. MUGA and echocardiographic LVEF measurements correlated poorly with limits of agreement of 30% between 3D-LVEF and MUGA-LVEF and 37% for 3D-LVEF and MUGA-LVEF. Only one case (2.9%) of CTRCD was diagnosed by MUGA, compared with 12 (34.2%) cases by echocardiography. Four (4) patients had >10% decrement in 3D-LVEF that was not detected by MUGA. Global longitudinal strain at 2 months displayed significant ability to predict CTRCD (area under the curve, 0.75, 95% confidence interval, 0.55-0.94).

CONCLUSIONS

The MUGA correlates poorly with echocardiographic assessment with substantial discrepancy between MUGA and echocardiography in CTRCD diagnosis. Echocardiographic and MUGA imaging strategies should not be considered equivalent for imaging cancer patients, and a single imaging modality should ideally be used per patient to prevent misdiagnosis by inter-modality variation These findings should be considered hypothesis-generating and require confirmation with larger studies.

Artificial intelligence-enabled prediction of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity from baseline electrocardiograms

Anthracyclines can cause cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) that adversely affects prognosis. Despite guideline recommendations, only half of the patients undergo surveillance echocardiograms. An AI model detecting reduced left ventricular ejection fraction from 12-lead electrocardiograms (ECG) (AI-EF model) suggests ECG features reflect left ventricular pathophysiology. We hypothesized that AI could predict CTRCD from baseline ECG, leveraging the AI-EF model's insights, and developed the AI-CTRCD model using transfer learning on the AI-EF model. In 1011 anthracycline-treated patients, 8.7% experienced CTRCD. High AI-CTRCD scores indicated elevated CTRCD risk (hazard ratio (HR), 2.66; 95% CI 1.73-4.10; log-rank p < 0.001). This remained consistent after adjusting for risk factors (adjusted HR, 2.57; 95% CI 1.62-4.10; p < 0.001). AI-CTRCD score enhanced prediction beyond known factors (time-dependent AUC for 2 years: 0.78 with AI-CTRCD score vs. 0.74 without; p = 0.005). In conclusion, the AI model robustly stratified CTRCD risk from baseline ECG.

Examining hypertension risk among Black and White breast cancer survivors

PURPOSE

Breast cancer survivors are at increased risk of cardiovascular dysfunction following their diagnosis; however, hypertension remains underexplored within this context. This retrospective cohort study examined the incidence of hypertension in breast cancer survivors and the association of race with hypertension risk among them.

METHODS

Data for this study were abstracted from the electronic health records of women diagnosed with Stages I-III breast cancer. Incident hypertension diagnosis was identified through International Classification of Diseases codes. Bivariate associations were tested using Student's t-test and chi-squared test of independence. Bivariable Cox regression analysis was used to determine demographic and clinical factors that may have been associated with the development of hypertension.

RESULTS

A total of 664 women were included. Most women were 50 years of age or younger (52.0%), White (33.0% Black), and received a mastectomy (80.6%). Overall, 45.5% of the cohort developed hypertension. The 1-year hypertension-free survival estimates were 47% (95% confidence interval [CI], 41-54) in Black women and 73% (95% CI, 69-77) in White women (p < 0.0001). Besides race, statistically significant predictors of hypertension included: age greater than 50 (vs. ≤50) (adjusted Hazard Ratio [HR]: 1.40; 95% CI, 1.09-1.80) and residing in a non-metropolitan area (vs. metropolitan) (adjusted HR: 1.60; 95% CI, 1.19-2.16).

CONCLUSIONS

This study suggests that breast cancer survivors who are older, Black, or residing in non-metropolitan areas may benefit from added surveillance and hypertension prevention strategies during treatment. Future studies are needed to identify contributors to the observed racial and geographic disparities.

The Impact of Chemotherapy on Cardiovascular Mortality across Breast Cancer Subtypes

Breast cancer is associated with cardiovascular mortality as an adverse effect of chemotherapy. Considering the variances across breast cancer subtypes, this study aims to investigate the cardiovascular mortality patterns in each subtype.

METHODS

This retrospective study used the SEER database of chemotherapy-receiving breast cancer patients (diagnosed in 2013-2020). The study population was categorized by cancer subtype, stage, patient age, and cause of death (COD). The percentage of cardiovascular CODs, odds ratio (ORs), 5-year cumulative crude probability of death, and standardized mortality ratios (SMRs) of each group were analyzed.

RESULTS

Among 23,263 nonsurviving breast cancer patients, 5.8% died from cardiovascular disease, whereas the HER2+/HR+ and HER2+/HR- subtypes exhibited the highest ORs of cardiovascular death and percentages of cardiovascular CODs, at 8.21% and 6.55%, respectively. The cardiovascular SMR increased with advancing stages and decreasing patient age. The HER2+/HR- subtype had the highest cardiovascular SMR, at 0.83 (p < 0.05), followed by TNBC, at 0.78 (p < 0.05). The 5-year cumulative probability of cardiovascular CODs also showed the highest risk in the HER2+/HR- subtype (1.02 ± 0.11%) and the TNBC subtype (0.95 ± 0.07%).

CONCLUSION

Breast cancer patients on chemotherapy face an elevated cardiovascular mortality risk, especially with aggressive subtypes (HER2-enriched, TNBC), advanced age, or HER2+/HR+ cancer receiving long-term treatment.

Features of trastuzumab-related cardiac dysfunction: deformation analysis outside left ventricular global longitudinal strain

Background

Cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction due to trastuzumab has been well-known for many years, and echocardiographic surveillance is recommended every 3 months in patients undergoing trastuzumab treatment, irrespective of the baseline cardiotoxicity risk. However, the potential harm and cost of overscreening in low- and moderate-risk patients have become great concerns.

Objectives

This study aimed to identify the incidence of early cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) and the behaviours of left and right heart deformations during trastuzumab chemotherapy in low- and moderate-risk patients.

Methods

We prospectively enrolled 110 anthracycline-naïve women with breast cancer and cardiovascular risk factors who were scheduled to receive trastuzumab. The left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS), and right ventricular and left atrial longitudinal strains were evaluated using echocardiography at baseline, before every subsequent cycle and 3 weeks after the final dose of trastuzumab. The baseline risk of CTRCD was graded according to the risk score proposed by the Heart Failure Association (HFA) Cardio-Oncology Working Group and the International Cardio-Oncology Society (ICOS). CTRCD and its severity were defined according to the current European Society of Cardiology (ESC) guidelines.

Results

Twelve (10.9%) patients had asymptomatic CTRCD. All CTRCD occurred sporadically during the first 9 months of the active trastuzumab regimen in both low- and moderate-risk patients. While CTRCD was graded as moderate severity in 41.7% of patients and heart failure therapy was initiated promptly, no irreversible cardiotoxicity or trastuzumab interruption was recorded at the end of follow-up. Among the left and right heart deformation indices, only LV-GLS decreased significantly in the CTRCD group during the trastuzumab regimen.

Conclusions

CTRCD is prevalent in patients with non-high-risk breast cancer undergoing trastuzumab chemotherapy. Low- and moderate-risk patients show distinct responses to trastuzumab. The LV-GLS is the only deformation index sensitive to early trastuzumab-related cardiac dysfunction.

Calcium-sensing receptor and NF-κB pathways in TN breast cancer contribute to cancer-induced cardiomyocyte damage via activating neutrophil extracellular traps formation

Cardiovascular disorders are commonly prevalent in cancer patients, yet the mechanistic link between them remains poorly understood. Because neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs) have implications not just in cardiovascular diseases (CVD), but also in breast cancer (BC), it was hypothesized to contribute to CVD in the context of oncogenesis. We established a mouse model using nude mice to simulate liver metastasis of triple-negative BC (TNBC) through the injection of MDA-MB-231 cells. Multiple imaging and analysis techniques were employed to assess the cardiac function and structure, including echocardiography, HE staining, Masson staining, and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). MDA-MB-231 cells underwent treatment with a CaSR inhibitor, CaSR agonist, and NF-κB channel blocker. The phosphorylation of NF-κB channel protein p65 and the expression and secretion of IL-8 were assessed using qRT-PCR, Western Blot, and ELISA, respectively. In addition, MDA-MB-231 cells were co-cultured with polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMN) under varying conditions. The co-localization of PMN extracellular myeloperoxidase (MPO) and DNA were observed by cellular immunofluorescence staining to identify the formation of NETs. Then, the cardiomyocytes were co-cultured with the above medium that contains NETs or not, respectively; the effects of NETs on cardiomyocytes apoptosis were perceived by flow cytometry. The ultrastructural changes of myocardial cells were perceived by TEM, and ELISA detected the levels of myocardial enzyme (LDH, MDA and SOD). Overall, according to our research, CaSR has been found to have a regulatory role in IL-8 secretion in MDA-MB-231 cells, as well as in the formation of NETs by PMN cells. These findings suggest CaSR-mediated stimulation in PMN can lead to increased NETs formation and subsequently to cytotoxicity in cardiomyocytes, which potentially via activation of the NF-κB signaling cascade of BC cell.

Aging-Associated ALKBH5-m6A Modification Exacerbates Doxorubicin-Induced Cardiomyocyte Apoptosis Via AT-Rich Interaction Domain 2

BACKGROUND

Chemotherapy-induced cardiovascular disease is a growing concern in the elderly population who have survived cancer, yet the underlying mechanism remains poorly understood. We investigated the role of ALKBH5 (AlkB homolog 5), a primary N6-methyladenosine (m6A) demethylase, and its involvement in m6A methylation-mediated regulation of targets in aging-associated doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity.

METHODS AND RESULTS

To validate the relationship between doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity and aging, we established young and old male mouse models. ALKBH5 expression was modulated through adeno-associated virus 9 (in vivo), Lentivirus, and siRNAs (in vitro) to examine its impact on cardiomyocyte m6A modification, doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction, and remodeling. We performed mRNA sequencing, methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing, and molecular assays to unravel the mechanism of ALKBH5-m6A modification in doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. Our data revealed an age-dependent increase in doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction, remodeling, and injury. ALKBH5 expression was elevated in aging mouse hearts, leading to reduced global m6A modification levels. Through mRNA sequencing and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing analyses, we identified ARID2 (AT-rich interaction domain 2) as the downstream effector of ALKBH5-m6A modulation in cardiomyocytes. Further investigations revealed that ARID2 modulates DNA damage response and enhances doxorubicin-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings provide insights into the role of ALKBH5-m6A modification in modulating doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction, remodeling, and cardiomyocyte apoptosis in male mice. These results highlight the potential of ALKBH5-targeted treatments for elderly patients with cancer in clinical settings.

Performance of physical, cardiovascular, and psychological functions in middle-aged women with and without breast cancer

PURPOSE

To compare the physical performance, including upper-limb motor and cardiovascular functions, and psychological functions, including anxiety and depression, sleep, and fatigue, between women with and without breast cancer.

METHODS

Thirty-two women with breast cancer and 32 healthy counterparts were recruited for the study. Upper-limb muscle strength, shoulder range of motion, and upper-limb function were assessed using a handheld dynamometer, a goniometer, and the short form of the Disabilities of Arm-Shoulder-Hand Questionnaire, respectively. Exercise endurance and cardiovascular functions were assessed using the 6-min walk test and blood pressure and heart rate variability, respectively. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, and the Fatigue Assessment Scale were used to assess the symptoms of anxiety and depression, sleep quality, and fatigue, respectively.

RESULTS

Breast cancer participants' body-weight-adjusted upper-limb strength of both the affected and unaffected sides (0.11-0.14) was only 61.1-77.8% of those of the healthy participants (0.18). Their shoulder mobility of the affected side (flexion: 161.64°; abduction: 157.01°) were 94.2% (flexion) and 92.5% (abduction) of those of the healthy participants (flexion: 171.56°; abduction: 169.68°), respectively. Breast cancer participants had higher quickDASH mean score (19.53), HADS-A mean score (6.78), HADS-D mean score (4.72), global PSQI mean score (7.22) and FAS mean score (25.97) as well as shorter mean distance covered by 6 MWT (496.66 m) than those of the healthy participants.

CONCLUSIONS

Rehabilitative interventions, such as mind-body interventions and exercise training, target physical fitness and promote the psychological health of women with breast cancer are necessary.

Multimodal Imaging of Cancer Therapy-Related Cardiac Dysfunction in Breast Cancer-A State-of-the-Art Review

BACKGROUND

This review focuses on multimodality imaging of cardiotoxicity in cancer patients, with the aim of evaluating the effectiveness of different techniques in detecting and monitoring cardiac changes associated with cancer therapy.

METHODS

Eight studies were included in the review, covering various imaging modalities such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, echocardiography, and multigated acquisition scanning.

RESULTS

Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging emerged as the most definitive modality, offering real-time detection, comprehensive assessment of cardiac function, the ability to detect early myocardial changes, and superior detection of cardiotoxicity when compared to the other imaging modalities. The studies also emphasize the importance of parameters such as left ventricular ejection fraction and global longitudinal strain in assessing cardiac function and predicting cardiotoxicity.

CONCLUSION

Due to the common use of HER2 agents and anthracyclines within the breast cancer population, the LVEF as a critical prognostic measurement for assessing heart health and estimating the severity of left-sided cardiac malfunction is a commonly used endpoint. CTRCD rates differed between imaging modalities, with cardiac MRI the most sensitive. The use of multimodal cardiac imaging remains a nuanced area, influenced by local availability, the clinical question at hand, body habits, and medical comorbidities. All of the imaging modalities listed have a role to play in current care; however, focus should be given to increasing the provision of cardiac MRI for breast cancer patients in the future to optimize the detection of CTRCD and patient outcomes thereafter.

Cardiotoxicity in breast cancer treatment: Causes and mitigation

Survivorship issues and treatment related toxicities have considerably increased in breast cancer patients following improved therapeutic options. Cardiotoxicity has been a major treatment related side effects in these patients. Despite this being a well-known entity, the real magnitude of the problem remains an enigma. The amount of research in mitigation of cardiotoxicity or its management in breast cancer survivors is limited and there is an urgent need for finding solutions for the problem. In this article, we are reviewing the agents that cause cardiotoxicity and suggesting a proposal for follow up of breast cancer survivors in an attempt to reduce the magnitude of impact on their quality of life.

Trastuzumab-induced cardiomyopathy via ferroptosis-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction

Trastuzumab (TRZ) is a first-line chemotherapeutic agent for HER-2 (ErbB2)-positive breast cancer. Unfortunately, its clinical use is limited due to its cardiotoxicity, referred to as TRZ-induced cardiotoxicity (TIC). However, the exact molecular mechanisms underlying the development of TIC remain unclear. Iron and lipid metabolism and redox reactions participate in the development of ferroptosis. Here, we show that ferroptosis-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in TIC in vivo and in vitro. We first established TIC models with BALB/c mice or neonatal rat cardiomyocytes and confirmed cardiomyopathy with echocardiography and inhibition of cell viability with a cell counting kit-8 examination, respectively. We showed that TRZ downregulated glutathione peroxidase 4 (GPx4) and elevated lipid peroxidation by-products, 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA), by inactivating the ErbB2/PI3K/AKT/Nrf2 signalling pathway. Additionally, upregulated mitochondrial 4-HNE binds to voltage-dependent anion channel 1 (VDAC1), increases VDAC1 oligomerization, and subsequently induces mitochondrial dysfunction, as evidenced by mitochondrial permeability transition pore (mPTP) opening and decreased mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP) and ATP levels. Concomitantly, TRZ affected the mitochondrial levels of GSH/GSSG and iron ions and the stability of mitoGPx4. Ferroptosis inhibitors, such as ferrostatin-1 (Fer-1) or the iron chelator deferoxamine (DFO), ameliorate TRZ-induced cardiomyopathy. Overexpression of mitoGPx4 also suppressed mitochondrial lipid peroxidation and prevented TRZ-induced ferroptosis. Our study strongly suggests that targeting ferroptosis-mediated mitochondrial dysfunction is a potential cardioprotective strategy.

Breast conservation therapy decreased heart-specific mortality in breast cancer patients compared with mastectomy

AIM

To investigate the impacts of breast conservation therapy (BCT) and mastectomy on heart-specific mortality in breast cancer patients.

METHODS

Patients with primary breast cancer registered in the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database between Jan 1998 and Dec 2015 were included. Patients were divided into either breast conservation therapy or mastectomy group. To compare mortality caused by heart diseases in breast cancer patients with BCT or mastectomy, univariate and multivariate regression after propensity score matching (PSM) were performed. Kaplan-Meier analysis was also used to evaluate heart-specific survival between two groups.

RESULTS

132,616 patients with breast cancer were enrolled in this study. After PSM, four risk factors including age, race, marital status and types of surgery were identified significantly associated with death from heart diseases. Heart-specific survival analysis further showed that overall, BCT poses a lower risk to heart-specific mortality compared with mastectomy.

CONCLUSION

Compared with mastectomy, BCT significantly decreased heart-specific mortality in breast cancer patients.

New Insights in the Era of Clinical Biomarkers as Potential Predictors of Systemic Therapy-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Women with Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review

Cardiotoxicity induced by breast cancer therapies is a potentially serious complication associated with the use of various breast cancer therapies. Prediction and better management of cardiotoxicity in patients receiving chemotherapy is of critical importance. However, the management of cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) lacks clinical evidence and is based on limited clinical studies.

AIM

To provide an overview of existing and potentially novel biomarkers that possess a promising predictive value for the early and late onset of CTRCD in the clinical setting.

METHODS

A systematic review of published studies searching for promising biomarkers for the prediction of CTRCD in patients with breast cancer was undertaken according to PRISMA guidelines. A search strategy was performed using PubMed, Google Scholar, and Scopus for the period 2013-2023. All subjects were >18 years old, diagnosed with breast cancer, and received breast cancer therapies.

RESULTS

The most promising biomarkers that can be used for the development of an alternative risk cardiac stratification plan for the prediction and/or early detection of CTRCD in patients with breast cancer were identified.

CONCLUSIONS

We highlighted the new insights associated with the use of currently available biomarkers as a standard of care for the management of CTRCD and identified potentially novel clinical biomarkers that could be further investigated as promising predictors of CTRCD.

Whole-Exome sequencing analysis identified TMSB10/TRABD2A locus to be associated with carfilzomib-related cardiotoxicity among patients with multiple myeloma

Background

Proteasome inhibitor Carfilzomib (CFZ) is effective in treating patients with refractory or relapsed multiple myeloma (MM) but has been associated with cardiovascular adverse events (CVAE) such as hypertension, cardiomyopathy, and heart failure. This study aimed to investigate the contribution of germline genetic variants in protein-coding genes in CFZ-CVAE among MM patients using whole-exome sequencing (WES) analysis.

Methods

Exome-wide single-variant association analysis, gene-based analysis, and rare variant analyses were performed on 603,920 variants in 247 patients with MM who have been treated with CFZ and enrolled in the Oncology Research Information Exchange Network (ORIEN) at the Moffitt Cancer Center. Separate analyses were performed in European Americans and African Americans followed by a trans-ethnic meta-analysis.

Results

The most significant variant in the exome-wide single variant analysis was a missense variant rs7148 in the thymosin beta-10/TraB Domain Containing 2A (TMSB10/TRABD2A) locus. The effect allele of rs7148 was associated with a higher risk of CVAE [odds ratio (OR) = 9.3 with a 95% confidence interval of 3.9-22.3, p = 5.42*10^-7]. MM patients with rs7148 AG or AA genotype had a higher risk of CVAE (50%) than those with GG genotype (10%). rs7148 is an expression quantitative trait locus (eQTL) for TRABD2A and TMSB10. The gene-based analysis also showed TRABD2A as the most significant gene associated with CFZ-CVAE (p = 1.06*10^-6).

Conclusions

We identified a missense SNP rs7148 in the TMSB10/TRABD2A as associated with CFZ-CVAE in MM patients. More investigation is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of these associations.

Quantitative cardiovascular magnetic resonance findings and clinical risk factors predict cardiovascular outcomes in breast cancer patients

BACKGROUND

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) global longitudinal strain and circumferential strain abnormalities have been associated with left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) reduction and cardiotoxicity from oncologic therapy. However, few studies have evaluated the associations of strain and cardiovascular outcomes.

OBJECTIVES

To assess CMR circumferential and global longitudinal strain (GLS) correlations with cardiovascular outcomes including myocardial infarction, systolic dysfunction, diastolic dysfunction, arrhythmias and valvular disease in breast cancer patients treated with and without anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab therapy.

METHODS

Breast cancer patients with a CMR from 2013-2017 at Yale New Haven Hospital were included. Patient co-morbidities, medications, and cardiovascular outcomes were obtained from chart review. Biostatistical analyses, including Pearson correlations, competing risk regression model, and competing risk survival curves comparing the two groups were analyzed.

RESULTS

116 breast cancer with CMRs were included in our analysis to assess differences between Anthracycline/Trastuzumab (AT) (62) treated versus non anthracycline/trastuzumab (NAT) (54) treated patients in terms of imaging characteristics and outcomes. More AT patients 17 (27.4%) developed systolic heart failure compared to the NAT group 6 (10.9%), p = 0.025. Statin use was associated with a significant reduction in future arrhythmias (HR 0.416; 95% CI 0.229-0.755, p = 0.004). In a sub-group of 13 patients that underwent stress CMR, we did not find evidence of microvascular dysfunction by sub-endocardial/sub-epicardial myocardial perfusion index ratio after adjusting for ischemic heart disease.

CONCLUSIONS

In our study, CMR detected signs of subclinical cardiotoxicity such as strain abnormalities despite normal LV function and abnormal circumferential strain was associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes such as valvular disease and systolic heart failure. Thus, CMR is an important tool during and after cancer treatment to identity and prognosticate cancer treatment-related cardiotoxicity.

Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Cardiorespiratory Fitness, Cardiovascular Risk Factors, and Patient-Reported Outcomes in Long-Term Breast Cancer Survivors: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Anthracycline-based chemotherapy has been mainstay of adjuvant breast cancer therapy for decades. Although effective, anthracyclines place long-term breast cancer survivors at risk of late effects, such as reduced cardiorespiratory fitness and increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Previous research has shown beneficial effects of exercise training on cardiorespiratory fitness, but the effects of exercise on limiting factors for cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiovascular risk factors, and patient-reported outcomes in long-term survivors are less clear. Whether previous exposure to breast cancer therapy modulates the effects of exercise is also unknown.

OBJECTIVE

The primary aim of the CAUSE (Cardiovascular Survivors Exercise) trial is to examine the effect of aerobic exercise on cardiorespiratory fitness in anthracycline-treated long-term breast cancer survivors. Secondary aims are to examine effects of exercise training on limiting factors for cardiorespiratory fitness, cardiovascular risk factors, and patient-reported outcomes, and to compare baseline values and effects of exercise training between similar-aged women with and those without prior breast cancer. A third aim is to examine the 24-month postintervention effects of aerobic exercise on primary and secondary outcomes.

METHODS

The CAUSE trial is a 2-armed randomized controlled trial, where 140 long-term breast cancer survivors, 8-12 years post diagnosis, are assigned to a 5-month nonlinear aerobic exercise program with 3 weekly sessions or to standard care. Seventy similar-aged women with no history of cancer will undergo the same exercise program. Cardiorespiratory fitness measured as peak oxygen consumption (VO2peak), limiting factors for VO2peak (eg, cardiac function, pulmonary function, hemoglobin mass, blood volume, and skeletal muscle characteristics), cardiovascular risk factors (eg, hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, obesity, physical activity level, and smoking status), and patient-reported outcomes (eg, body image, fatigue, mental health, and health-related quality of life) will be assessed at baseline, post intervention, and 24 months post intervention.

RESULTS

A total of 209 patients were included from October 2020 to August 2022, and postintervention assessments were completed in January 2023. The 24-month follow-up will be completed in February 2025.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings from the CAUSE trial will provide novel scientific understanding of the potential benefits of exercise training in long-term breast cancer survivors.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04307407; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04307407.

INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/45244.

Comparison of American and European guidelines for cardio-oncology of heart failure

Heart failure is a complex clinical syndrome, whose signs and symptoms are caused by functional or structural impairment of ventricular filling or ejection of blood. Due to the interaction among anticancer treatment, patients' cardiovascular background, including coexisting cardiovascular diseases and risk factors, and cancer itself, cancer patients develop heart failure. Some drugs for cancer treatment may cause heart failure directly through cardiotoxicity or indirectly through other mechanisms. Heart failure in turn may make patients lose effective anticancer treatment, thus affecting the prognosis of cancer. Some epidemiological and experimental evidence shows that there is a further interaction between cancer and heart failure. Here, we compared the cardio-oncology recommendations among heart failure patients of the recent 2022 American guidelines, 2021 European guidelines, and 2022 European guidelines. Each guideline acknowledges the role of multidisciplinary (cardio-oncology) discussion before and during scheduled anticancer therapy.

Chemotherapy, hypothyroidism and oral dysbiosis as a novel risk factor of cardiovascular pathology development

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the population, as well as the economic burden of the health care system. Currently, CVDs account for more than 17.6 million deaths a year and are projected to exceed 23.6 million by 2030. Unstable atheroma, and its rupture, underlies the pathology of most cardiovascular complications, particularly acute coronary syndrome, mortality from which, compared with other CV events, remains the leading one. Despite numerous efforts by WHO, national health systems, and medical authorities, the incidence and mortality from cardiovascular events remain critically high. Thus, the search for new risk factors for the development of CV pathology looks very relevant. Our working group decided to amalgamate our research data, which reflects the study of modern risk factors from the Armenian, Russian, Georgian, and Iranian medical schools. In particular, the aspects of cardiotoxic effects of chemotherapy, hypothyroidism, and oral dysbiosis are discussed.

Global longitudinal strain: an early marker for cardiotoxicity in patients treated for breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Patients treated with anthracyclines and trastuzumab are at increased risk of developing heart failure. Early diagnosis and treatment may prevent irreversible left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. This study investigates whether subclinical deterioration of global longitudinal strain (GLS) is a more reliable early predictor for LV dysfunction than three-dimensional (3D) LV ejection fraction (LVEF).

METHODS

Adult patients receiving anthracyclines and trastuzumab for breast cancer who had serial echocardiographic follow-up were included in this retrospective study. The primary endpoint was the necessity to temporarily pause chemo- or immunotherapy due to declining LVEF (decline in 3D LVEF of > 10 percentage points to < 53%). Linear mixed-effects models were used to assess the longitudinal evolution of 3D LVEF and GLS over time.

RESULTS

Fifty-one women were included, mean age 54 (50.5-57.6) years, with a total of 216 follow-up echocardiograms (mean follow-up 1.1 ± 0.45 years). GLS and 3D LVEF were significantly correlated (Spearman's rho: -0.36, p < 0.001). A decrease in GLS significantly predicted a lower LVEF on the subsequent echocardiogram [ß -0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI) (-1.0 to -0.2), p < 0.006]. Conversely, prior LVEF did not significantly predict GLS on the subsequent echocardiogram [ß -0.04, 95% CI -0.1 to -0.01, p = 0.12]. Nine patients reached the primary endpoint. On average, patients who reached the primary endpoint had a relative decrease of 15% GLS at day 205 and an absolute 10% decrease of LVEF to LVEF < 53% at day 235.

DISCUSSION

GLS is able to identify subclinical LV dysfunction earlier than 3D LVEF measurement in women undergoing treatment for breast cancer with anthracyclines followed by trastuzumab.

Effects of trastuzumab and trastuzumab emtansine on corrected QT interval and left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with metastatic (HER2+) breast cancer

BACKGROUND

Trastuzumab and trastuzumab emtansine are specific antibody and antibody-drug conjugates used in the treatment of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2) positive metastatic breast cancer. The aim of this study was to test their effect on the QTc interval duration and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in our patients, two parameters used in evaluation of cardiotoxicity. From May 2015 to October 2017, 26 patients with preserved LVEF were included in the study. All of them were previously treated with standard paclitaxel and cisplatin-based chemotherapy regimens. Electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded just before each trastuzumab dose application and six months after the last dose. Echocardiography with LVEF measurement was performed several days before the application of the initial dose, and six months after the last cycle. Later, 24 patients with metastatic disease received additional treatment with trastuzumab emtansine after six months and the same ECG and echocardiography protocol was performed again. Due to reduction in LVEF, two patients were discontinued from additional treatment.

RESULTS

A statistically significant QTc prolongation was found after each drug dose application, with an increase in mean QTc duration with every successive application, reaching the peak QTc values just before the fifth cycle of treatment. The QTc interval returned to its initial value six months after the last cycle (p < 0.001). These results were similar for both drugs. Mean LVEF before both treatment protocols was significantly higher compared to LVEF value after the treatment. LVEF before trastuzumab emtansine treatment was non-significantly higher than LVEF after trastuzumab treatment.

CONCLUSION

Trastuzumab and trastuzumab emtansine cardiotoxicity manifested as a significant and progressive QTc prolongation after successive drug applications, reaching the peak value just before the fifth cycle of both drugs. Both medications also caused statistically significant but asymptomatic LVEF reduction. Complete reversibility of cardiotoxic effects of both drugs was confirmed by QTc interval and LVEF normalisation after the treatment discontinuation.

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation for Adult Patients With Neoplasms: Outcomes and Trend Over the Last 2 Decades

Extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) is utilized in the management of severe respiratory and circulatory failure. Advanced malignancy is a relative contraindication, but the indication for ECMO in the oncologic population has not been clearly established because of the wide spectrum of malignant disease and prognoses. The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization database was queried for patients older than 18 years with an International Classification of Diseases code of neoplasm over the past 2 decades (2000-2019). The data were divided into 2 decades to analyze and compare the trends with background and outcomes. One thousand six-hundred ninety-seven patients met inclusion criteria from the latest decade which is over 15 times the previous decade (n = 110). Compared with the previous decade, ECMO was used more in patients with older age (56 vs . 50.5 years old; p < 0.001), cardiac and extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR) support type ( p = 0.011), and lower oxygenation index (23.0 vs . 35.6; p < 0.001) in the latest decade. Although overall survival did not show significant improvement overall (38.9% vs . 33.6%; p = 0.312), survival in pulmonary ECMO has significantly improved in the latest decade (41.6% vs . 29.1%; p = 0.032). Compared with the previously reported data for all adult ECMO, our patients had a significantly lower survival with pulmonary (41.6% vs . 61.1%; p < 0.001) and cardiac (38.4% vs . 44.3%; p = 0.008) support while not with ECPR.

Evaluating Cardiotoxicity in Breast Cancer Patients Treated with HER2 Inhibitors: Could a Combination of Radionuclide Ventriculography and Cardiac Biomarkers Predict the Cardiac Impact?

(1) Background: The aim of our study was to determine whether monitoring cardiac function through RNV and cardiac biomarkers could predict the cardiac impact of combined therapy with trastuzumab, pertuzumab and docetaxel, which are regularly used nowadays to treat HER2-positive breast cancer. (2) Methods: This prospective monocentric study included 22 patients, diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, who had their LVEFs and cardiac biomarkers evaluated both at the beginning of their treatment and after 6 months. Among all of the enrolled patients, two blood specimens were collected to assess circulating cardiac biomarkers. RNV was performed in each patient after "in vivo" radiolabeling of the erythrocytes. The obtained results were then statistically correlated. (3) Results: The average LVEF decrease between the two time points was approximately 4%. Of the five biomarkers we considered in this paper, only NT-proBNP correlated with the LVEF values obtained both in the baseline study and after 6 months of follow-up (r = -0.615 for T0 and r = -0.751 for T1, respectively). ST2/IL-33R proved statistically significant at the T1 time point (r = -0.547). (4) Conclusions: A combination of LVEF, NT-proBNP and ST2/IL-33R assessment may be useful for early detection of cardiac impairment in breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab, pertuzumab and docetaxel.

Cardio-oncology Clinical Assessment and Screening in Patients Undergoing High Toxicity Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE

To describe the clinical characteristics and cardio-oncological assessment in patients undertaking highly toxic chemotherapy and/or chest radiotherapy in a high-complexity hospital.

METHODS

A single-center retrospective cohort study was carried out between January 1st, 2017 and December 31st, 2019. The medical records of patients with solid or hematological neoplasms were reviewed. Descriptive information was obtained on demographic characteristics, chemotherapeutic agents, pre-chemotherapy cardiovascular (CV) evaluation, and CV outcomes. The risk of complications was assessed using the Mayo Clinic risk score.

RESULTS

A total of 499 patients were included, the most common neoplasm was non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (21.6%), followed by breast cancer (19.4%). A very high risk of cardiotoxicity was present in 44.1% and 90% were not evaluated by cardiology. Pre-chemotherapy echocardiography was obtained in 65%, but only 19.4% underwent echocardiographic control after finishing chemotherapy. The most frequent CV outcomes were chemotherapy-related systolic dysfunction (4.4%) and rhythm disturbances (2.8%), with atrial fibrillation and atrial flutter being the most frequent arrhythmias.

CONCLUSION

Despite the recognized CV toxicity of chemotherapeutic drugs, the majority of patients receiving highly toxic regimens at high risk of CV complications are not previously evaluated by a cardiologist and the CV workup was not routinely used in our study. The implementation of cardio-oncology programs will facilitate the identification of high-risk patients, aiming to detect and treat complications early.

Echocardiographic strategy for early detection of cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin: a prospective observational study

Background

Cancer chemotherapy using anthracyclines is associated with cardiotoxicity (CTX), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) analysis is not sensitive to early cardiotoxic changes. Left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV GLS) monitoring helps screen subclinical CTX; however, the intervals at which it should be performed remain unclear. We aimed to evaluate the incidence of CTX in women with breast cancer and the associated factors and compare two echocardiographic monitoring strategies using two cutoff points for LV GLS variation.

Methods

Patients with breast cancer prescribed doxorubicin underwent serial LVEF and LV GLS assessments using two-dimensional echocardiography every 3 weeks for 6 months.

Results

We included 43 women; none developed a clinical CTX. Considering a relative reduction of LV GLS > 15%, subclinical CTX was present in 12 (27.9%) and six (14%) patients at 3-week and 3-month intervals, respectively (P = 0.28). Additionally, considering a reduction of > 12%, subclinical CTX was present in 17 (39.5%) and 10 (23.3%) patients (P = 0.16), respectively. There were no significant differences in either reference value at 3-week (P = 0.19) and 3-month intervals (P = 0.41). Age ≥ 60 years (P = 0.018) and hypertension (HTN) (P = 0.022) were associated with subclinical CTX in the univariate analysis.

Conclusions

There was no difference in the incidence of subclinical CTX between the two cutoff points and no benefit in performing echocardiography every 3 weeks compared with quarterly monitoring. Advanced age and HTN were associated with the development of subclinical CTX.

Advanced Echocardiographic Techniques in Cardio-Oncology: the Role for Early Detection of Cardiotoxicity

PURPOSE OF REVIEW

Implementation of advanced echocardiographic techniques in cardio-oncology is a growing need as they are the cornerstone of early detection of cancer therapy-related cardiovascular toxicity (CTR-CVT).

RECENT FINDINGS

Three-dimensional echocardiography and myocardial deformation techniques have shown more accuracy and reproducibility than classic 2D measurements in detecting cardiovascular adverse effects in patients undergoing anticancer therapies. Application of advanced echo techniques to daily monitoring of patients with cancer helps to identify those at risk of developing CTR-CVT during and after cancer treatment. Furthermore, advanced echo parameters improve early initiation of cardioprotective treatments in order to minimize cardiovascular events and cancer treatment interruption.

Baseline cardiac function checkup in patients with gastric or breast cancer receiving trastuzumab or anthracyclines

BACKGROUND

Although trastuzumab and anthracyclines are frequently used to treat breast cancer (BC) and gastric cancer (GC), cardiotoxicity is a serious concern. The cardiac function assessment is recommended at baseline before initiating treatment. However, the prevalence rates of baseline cardiac checkups are unknown.

METHODS

The national database of hospital-based cancer registries linked to the health services-utilization data was used to study patients with newly diagnosed stage IV BC and GC (n = 6271) who received trastuzumab (n = 4324, 69.0%) or anthracyclines between January 2012 and December 2015. The baseline ultrasound echocardiogram (UCG) performance rate and factors related to adequate UCG performance for all patients and those receiving trastuzumab were analyzed.

RESULTS

The adequate baseline UCG checkup rate was higher in patients treated with trastuzumab than in those treated with anthracyclines (71.8% vs 44.1%, respectively). Additionally, patients with GC were less likely to receive an adequate baseline UCG performance than those with BC (70.4% vs 75.0%, respectively). After adjusting for potential confounders, patients with anthracycline-treated BC and GC were less likely to receive adequate baseline UCG performance than those with trastuzumab-treated BC (odds ratio [OR]: 0.24, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.20-0.28, and OR: 0.07, 95% CI: 0.03-0.16, respectively). Furthermore, patients with trastuzumab-treated GC were less likely to receive adequate baseline UCG performance than those with BC (OR: 0.65, 95% CI: 0.50-0.84).

CONCLUSIONS

The baseline UCG was less likely to be performed in patients receiving anthracyclines than in those receiving trastuzumab, as well as in patients with GC than in those with BC.

Risk of Cardiovascular Disease in Women With and Without Breast Cancer: The Pathways Heart Study

PURPOSE

To examine cardiovascular disease (CVD) and mortality risk in women with breast cancer (BC) by cancer therapy received relative to women without BC.

METHODS

The study population comprised Kaiser Permanente Northern California members. Cases with invasive BC diagnosed from 2005 to 2013 were matched 1:5 to controls without BC on birth year and race/ethnicity. Cancer treatment, CVD outcomes, and covariate data were from electronic health records. Multivariable Cox proportional hazards models estimated hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CIs of CVD incidence and mortality by receipt of chemotherapy treatment combinations, radiation therapy, and endocrine therapy.

RESULTS

A total of 13,642 women with BC were matched to 68,202 controls without BC. Over a 7-year average follow-up (range < 1-14 years), women who received anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab had high risk of heart failure/cardiomyopathy relative to controls, with the highest risk seen in women who received both anthracyclines and trastuzumab (HR, 3.68; 95% CI, 1.79 to 7.59). High risk of heart failure and/or cardiomyopathy was also observed in women with BC with a history of radiation therapy (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.13 to 1.69) and aromatase inhibitor use (HR, 1.31; 95% CI, 1.07 to 1.60), relative to their controls. Elevated risks for stroke, arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, venous thromboembolic disease, CVD-related death, and death from any cause were also observed in women with BC on the basis of cancer treatment received.

CONCLUSION

Women with BC had increased incidence of CVD events, CVD-related mortality, and all-cause mortality compared with women without BC, and risks varied according to the history of cancer treatment received. Studies are needed to determine how women who received BC treatment should be cared for to improve cardiovascular outcomes.

2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines

AIM

The "2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" replaces the "2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" and the "2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure." The 2022 guideline is intended to provide patient-centric recommendations for clinicians to prevent, diagnose, and manage patients with heart failure.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from May 2020 to December 2020, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that were published in English from MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, the Cochrane Collaboration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and other relevant databases. Additional relevant clinical trials and research studies, published through September 2021, were also considered. This guideline was harmonized with other American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines published through December 2021. Structure: Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The 2022 heart failure guideline provides recommendations based on contemporary evidence for the treatment of these patients. The recommendations present an evidence-based approach to managing patients with heart failure, with the intent to improve quality of care and align with patients' interests. Many recommendations from the earlier heart failure guidelines have been updated with new evidence, and new recommendations have been created when supported by published data. Value statements are provided for certain treatments with high-quality published economic analyses.

2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure: Executive Summary: A Report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines

AIM

The "2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" replaces the "2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" and the "2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure." The 2022 guideline is intended to provide patient-centric recommendations for clinicians to prevent, diagnose, and manage patients with heart failure.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from May 2020 to December 2020, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that were published in English from MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, the Cochrane Collaboration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and other relevant databases. Additional relevant clinical trials and research studies, published through September 2021, were also considered. This guideline was harmonized with other American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines published through December 2021. Structure: Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The 2022 heart failure guideline provides recommendations based on contemporary evidence for the treatment of these patients. The recommendations present an evidence-based approach to managing patients with heart failure, with the intent to improve quality of care and align with patients' interests. Many recommendations from the earlier heart failure guidelines have been updated with new evidence, and new recommendations have been created when supported by published data. Value statements are provided for certain treatments with high-quality published economic analyses.

2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure

AIM

The "2022 AHA/ACC/HFSA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" replaces the "2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure" and the "2017 ACC/AHA/HFSA Focused Update of the 2013 ACCF/AHA Guideline for the Management of Heart Failure." The 2022 guideline is intended to provide patient-centric recommendations for clinicians to prevent, diagnose, and manage patients with heart failure.

METHODS

A comprehensive literature search was conducted from May 2020 to December 2020, encompassing studies, reviews, and other evidence conducted on human subjects that were published in English from MEDLINE (PubMed), EMBASE, the Cochrane Collaboration, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and other relevant databases. Additional relevant clinical trials and research studies, published through September 2021, were also considered. This guideline was harmonized with other American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology guidelines published through December 2021.

STRUCTURE

Heart failure remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality globally. The 2022 heart failure guideline provides recommendations based on contemporary evidence for the treatment of these patients. The recommendations present an evidence-based approach to managing patients with heart failure, with the intent to improve quality of care and align with patients' interests. Many recommendations from the earlier heart failure guidelines have been updated with new evidence, and new recommendations have been created when supported by published data. Value statements are provided for certain treatments with high-quality published economic analyses.

Opportunities and Challenges in Cardio-Oncology:A Bibliometric analysis From 2010 to 2022

Cardio-oncology has grown rapidly worldwide as an emerging interdisciplinary discipline over the past decade. In the present bibliometric review, we employed VOSviewer and Citespace software to describe the literature landscape concerning cardio-oncology from 2010 to 2022. As a result, a total of 1,194 relevant publications were identified in the Web of Science database with an increasing trend. The United States dominated the field during the research period, and Italy, England and Canada had emerged as significant contributors to the study. Ky. Bonnie, Herrmann. Joerg and Fradley. Michael G were the most productive researchers. JACC: CardioOncology was the journal dedicated to the discipline of cardio-oncology and had published the greatest number of papers. Vascular disease and atrial fibrillation have attracted much attention as the main cardiovascular burden. Immune checkpoint inhibitor-specific cardiovascular toxicity, biomarkers and imaging examination together with the prevention of cardio-oncology are potential research hotspots. Notably, basic research is lagging behind, for which more researches are needed to fill the gap. In conclusion, bibliometric analysis provided valuable information for the development of cardio-oncology, which is full of opportunities and challenges.

Potential Role of Neutrophil Extracellular Traps in Cardio-Oncology

Cardiovascular toxicity has emerged as the leading cause of death in patients undergoing cancer treatment. Thus, cardio-oncology (CO) care must also focus on the prevention and management of related cardiovascular (CV) complications caused by cancer therapy. Neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs)—entities with released DNA, proteases, proinflammatory and prooxidative substances from blasted neutrophils—play an important role in cancer proliferation, propagation metastasis, and incident CV events (acute coronary syndrome, thromboembolic events, and heart failure). Although NETs have been shown to be involved in cancer progression and incident CV events, little is known about their relationship with cardio-oncology, especially on cancer treatment-related cardiovascular toxicity (CTRCT). This review aims to explore the evidence of the impact of NETs on cancer, CV events, and CTRCT, and the possible solutions based on the mechanism of NETs activation and NETs released toxic substances.

Global Longitudinal Strain Monitoring to Guide Cardioprotective Medications During Anthracycline Treatment

Purpose of the Review

Anthracycline chemotherapy carries a risk of myocardial dysfunction and heart failure even at relatively low doses, and the clinical prediction of cancer treatment-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) is inexact. Careful imaging or biomarker surveillance during chemotherapy can identify CTRCD before the development of heart failure. Currently, this surveillance is performed using ejection fraction (EF). While this is a reliable and reproducible test with three-dimensional techniques, the most widely used imaging technique is two-dimensional echocardiography, for which EF measurements have broad confidence intervals.

Recent Findings

The use of global myocardial strain (GLS) provides a more reliable and reproducible means of assessing global cardiac function and shows meaningful changes before a significant change of EF. Observational studies have shown that although absolute measurements of GLS, both at baseline and during therapy, are predictive of CTRCD risk, the most reliable approach is to assess the change of GLS with therapy — a meaningful relative change of 10–15% being significant. A clinical trial comparing GLS to EF surveillance did not show a significant change of EF in the overall study group, but did show that patients managed with a the GLS-guided approach were less likely to develop a meaningful change of cardiac function to an abnormal level. In at-risk patients, there is good evidence for the protective value of neurohormonal antagonists and statins: the use of GLS enables these benefits to be directed to those most likely to benefit, while minimizing their use in the majority of people, who do not need them.

Summary

Although GLS requires an element of training and efforts to ensure uniformity, it has proven to be a feasible, robust, and reproducible technique, ready for wide adoption.

Cardiotoxicity of Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor 2-Targeted Drugs for Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common form of cancer in women and its incidence has been increasing over the years. Human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2 or ErbB2) overexpression is responsible for 20 to 25% of invasive breast cancers, and is associated with poor prognosis. HER2-targeted therapy has significantly improved overall survival rates in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer. However, despite the benefits of this therapy, its cardiotoxicity is a major concern, especially when HER2-targeted therapy is used in conjunction with anthracyclines. At present, the mechanism of this cardiotoxicity is not fully understood. It is thought that HER2-targeting drugs inhibit HER2/NRG 1 dimer formation, causing an increase in ROS in the mitochondria of cardiomyocytes and inhibiting the PI3K/Akt and Ras/MAPK pathways, resulting in cell apoptosis. Antioxidants, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blockers, β-blockers, statins and other drugs may have a cardioprotective effect when used with ErbB2-targeting drugs. NT-proBNP can be used to monitor trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity during HER2-targeted treatment and may serve as a biological marker for clinical prediction of cardiotoxicity. Measuring NT-proBNP is non-invasive, inexpensive and reproducible, therefore is worthy of the attention of clinicians. The aim of this review is to discuss the potential mechanisms, clinical features, diagnostic strategies, and intervention strategies related to cardiotoxicity of ErbB2-targeting drugs.

Health Disparities: Impact of Health Disparities and Treatment Decision-Making Biases on Cancer Adverse Effects Among Black Cancer Survivors

BACKGROUND

Health disparities affect cancer incidence, treatment decisions, and adverse effects. Oncology providers may hold biases in the decision-making process, which can perpetuate health disparities.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this article is to describe health disparities across treatment decisions and adverse effects, describe decision-making biases, and provide suggestions for nurses to mitigate adverse outcomes.

METHODS

A scoping review of the literature was conducted.

FINDINGS

Factors affecting health disparities stem, in part, from structural racism and decision-making biases, such as implicit bias, which occurs when individuals have unconscious negative thoughts or feelings toward a particular group. Other decision-making biases, seemingly unrelated to race, include default bias, delay discounting bias, and availability bias. Nurses and nurse navigators can mitigate health disparities by providing culturally appropriate care, assessing health literacy, providing education regarding adverse effects, serving as patient advocates, empowering patients, evaluating personal level of disease knowledge, and monitoring and managing cancer treatment adverse effects.

Case series, chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy: mind the family history!

Background

Cardiotoxicity presenting as cardiomyopathy is a common side effect in cancer treatment especially with anthracyclines. The role of genetic predisposition is still being investigated.

Case summary

Four unrelated patients with a familial burden for cardiac disease, who developed cardiomyopathy after anthracycline treatment are presented. Case 1 received chemotherapy for breast cancer and developed a dilated left ventricle just after treatment. Her father had died unexpectedly while being screened for heart transplant. Case 2 was known with a family history of sudden cardiac death prior to her breast cancer diagnosis. She received anthracycline-containing chemotherapy treatment twice in 5 years due to recurrence of breast cancer. During that period, two brothers developed a cardiomyopathy. Eighteen years later, a genetic predisposition for cardiomyopathy was ascertained and at screening an asymptomatic non-ischaemic cardiomyopathy was established. Case 3 was diagnosed with a dilated cardiomyopathy 1 year after chemotherapy treatment for breast cancer. Her mother had developed a dilated cardiomyopathy several years before. Case 4 received chemotherapy treatment for Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and developed dilated cardiomyopathy 1 year later. His brother died from congestive heart failure which he developed after chemotherapy for Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and a grandmother had died suddenly during child delivery. In all four cases, genetic screening showed (likely) pathogenic variants in cardiomyopathy-associated genes.

Discussion

Current guidelines recommend cardiac evaluation in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy based on the presence of cardiovascular risk factors at the start of treatment. This series emphasizes the importance of including a thorough family history in this process.

An Overview of Cardio-Oncology, a New Frontier to Be Explored

Advances in cancer treatments have led to an increasing number of cancer survivors, but also high rates of short- and long-term cardiovascular (CV) toxicities. The number of new cancer drugs is constantly increasing, and the uncertain CV toxicities of these drugs make long-term care and monitoring difficult. Moreover, traditional type I and type II cardiotoxicities may not be applicable to all of these agents. Multidisciplinary care with expertise in oncology, cardiology and other related specialties is required to mitigate cancer therapeutics-related cardiovascular dysfunction (CTRCD). The aim of this review is to provide an overview of the main CTRCD, risk assessment, early diagnosis, and strategies for the prevention and management of patients receiving cancer therapies. There are still unmet needs for cardio- oncology researchers with regards to early detection measures, better treatment strategies, better follow-up protocols, and better management of CTRCD. Experts in cardiology, oncology, hematology, and radio-oncology should thus work closely in an attempt to foster patient awareness and research in this field, as well as call for support from public and industrial sources to initiate pivotal clinical trials to solve these unmet needs.

Anthracyclines and regional myocardial damage in breast cancer patients. A multicentre study from the Working Group on Drug Cardiotoxicity and Cardioprotection, Italian Society of Cardiology (SIC)

AIMS

In breast cancer (BC) patients treated with anthracyclines-based therapies, we aim at assessing whether adjuvant drugs impact cardiac function differently and whether their cardiotoxicity has a regional pattern.

METHODS AND RESULTS

In a multicentre study, 146 BC patients (56 ± 11 years) were prospectively enrolled and divided into three groups according to the received treatments: AC/EC-Group (doxorubicin or epirubicin + cyclophosphamide), AC/EC/Tax-Group (AC/EC + taxanes), FEC/Tax-Group (fluorouracil + EC + taxanes). Fifty-six patients of the total cohort also received trastuzumab. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and global longitudinal strain (GLS) were calculated before starting chemotherapy (T0), at 3 months (T3), at 6 (T6), and 12 months (T12). A ≥10% drop of EF, while remaining within the normal range, was reached at T6 in 25.3% of patients from the whole cohort with an early decrease only in FEC/Tax-Group (P = 0.04). A ≥15% GLS reduction was observed in many more (61.6%) patients. GLS decreased early both in the whole population (P < 0.001) and in the subgroups. The FEC-Tax Group showed the worst GLS at T6. Trastuzumab further worsened GLS at T12 (P = 0.031). A significant reduction of GLS was observed in all LV segments and was more relevant in the anterior septum and apex.

CONCLUSIONS

The decrease of GLS is more precocious and pronounced in BC patients who received FEC + taxanes. Cardiac function further worsens after 6 months of adjuvant trastuzumab. All LV segments are damaged, with the anterior septum and the apex showing the greatest impairments.

Decision Science Can Inform Clinical Trade-Offs Regarding Cardiotoxic Cancer Treatments

Cancer treatment-related cardiotoxicity (ie, heart failure, coronary artery disease, vascular diseases, arrhythmia) is a growing cancer survivorship concern within oncology practice; heart disease is the leading cause of noncancer death in cancer survivors and surpasses cancer as the leading cause of death for some cancers with higher survival rates. The issue of cardiotoxicity introduces a critical tradeoff that must be acknowledged and reconciled in clinical oncology practice: treating cancer aggressively and effectively in the present vs preventing future cardiotoxicity. Although many cancers must be treated as aggressively as possible, for others, multiple treatment options are available. Yet even when effective and less cardiotoxic treatments are available, they are not always chosen. Wariness to choose equally effective but less cardiotoxic treatment options may result in part from providers' and patients' reliance on "cognitive heuristics," or mental shortcuts that people (including, research shows, medical professionals) use to simplify complex judgments. These heuristics include delay discounting, availability and affect heuristics, and default bias. In the current commentary, we describe relevant research that illuminates how use of heuristics leads to biased medical decision making and translate how this research may apply when the tradeoff between aggressive cancer treatment and preventing future cardiotoxicity is considered. We discuss the implications of these biases in oncology practice, offer potential solutions to reduce bias, and call for future research in this area.

Cardiotoxicity and Cardiac Monitoring Among Anthracycline-Treated Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Purpose

Cardiotoxicity is a common complication associated with anthracyclines. Little is known regarding the rate of anthracyclines-related acute and chronic cardiotoxicity and adherence to cardiac monitoring recommendations among cancer patients.

Patients and Methods

A single-centre retrospective cohort study was conducted from 2015 to 2018 on patients with cancer, 18 years of age and older, on anthracyclines without a history of cardiovascular diseases. Data on demographic information, comorbidities, cardiovascular events, monitoring parameters, and treatment details were obtained. The primary outcome was the incidence of anthracyclines-related cardiotoxicity both acute and chronic. The secondary outcome was to determine adherence to guideline recommendations for monitoring anthracyclines-related cardiotoxicity based on the American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guidelines. Analyses included descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Institutional review board approval was obtained.

Results

In 235 patients identified, 28.9% developed cardiotoxicity, of which 27.2% were acute, while chronic cardiotoxicity was observed in 8.9% of subjects. Patients who received optimal cardiac monitoring had a statistically significant higher odds of developing cardiotoxicities (odds ratio=2.65, confidence interval=1.32-5.33). The risk of cardiotoxicity was higher in subjects with a history of diabetes mellitus, those using daunorubicin, and concomitant filgrastim use. Adherence to guideline recommendations was only achieved in 25.1% of the population. Echocardiography was the most common monitoring method used.

Conclusion

In this study, there was a high incidence of anthracyclines cardiotoxicity and poor compliance with cardiac monitoring recommendations for cancer patients on anthracyclines, which underscores acute and chronic cardiotoxicity in this population.

Recognition, Prevention, and Management of Arrhythmias and Autonomic Disorders in Cardio-Oncology: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association

With the advent of novel cancer therapeutics and improved screening, more patients are surviving a cancer diagnosis or living longer with advanced disease. Many of these treatments have associated cardiovascular toxicities that can manifest in both an acute and a delayed fashion. Arrhythmias are an increasingly identified complication with unique management challenges in the cancer population. The purpose of this scientific statement is to summarize the current state of knowledge regarding arrhythmia identification and treatment in patients with cancer. Atrial tachyarrhythmias, particularly atrial fibrillation, are most common, but ventricular arrhythmias, including those related to treatment-induced QT prolongation, and bradyarrhythmias can also occur. Despite increased recognition, dedicated prospective studies evaluating true incidence are lacking. Moreover, few studies have addressed appropriate prevention and treatment strategies. As such, this scientific statement serves to mobilize the cardio-oncology, electrophysiology, and oncology communities to develop clinical and scientific collaborations that will improve the care of patients with cancer who have arrhythmias.

Detection of the Early Cardiotoxic Effects of Doxorubicin-Containing Chemotherapy Regimens in Patients with Breast Cancer through Novel Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Short-term Follow-up

Objectives:

Many patients with breast cancer (BC) require cardiotoxic anthracycline-based chemotherapy. We intended to assess the early cardiotoxic effects of doxorubicin utilizing cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging.

Material and Methods:

Forty-nine patients including 21 otherwise healthy females with BC at a mean age (±SD) of 47.62 ± 9.07 years and 28 normal controls at a mean age (±SD) of 45.18 ± 4.29 years were recruited. They underwent CMR and transthoracic echocardiography at baseline and 7 days after four biweekly cycles of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide. Biventricular functional, volumetric, global strain, and tissue characterization findings were analyzed and compared with those of 28 controls.

Results:

In post-chemotherapy CMR, 4 patients (19.04%), three symptomatic and one asymptomatic, exhibited evidence of doxorubicin cardiotoxicity. Significant differences in biventricular ejection fraction, left ventricular end-systolic volume index, and all 3D global strain values were noted after chemotherapy in comparison with the baseline (all P < 0.05). More than half of the study population showed a significant change in all right ventricular global strain values. One patient (4.76%) exhibited evidence of diffuse myocardial edema in post-chemotherapy CMR, and 3 patients (14.28%) showed myocardial fibrosis. The study participants were clinically followed up for 4–10 months (mean = 7 months). Overall, 8 patients (38.09%) complained of dyspnea on exertion and fatigue on follow-up. None of the CMR markers was associated with the development of symptoms.

Conclusion:

Our investigation revealed striking changes in CMR parameters in the follow-up of BC patients treated with cardiotoxic chemotherapy. These exclusive CMR features assist in the early initiation of preventive cardiac strategies.

Cardiovascular adverse events associated with BRAF versus BRAF/MEK inhibitor: Cross-sectional and longitudinal analysis using two large national registries

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular adverse events (CVAEs) associated with BRAF inhibitors alone versus combination BRAF/MEK inhibitors are not fully understood.

METHODS

This study included all adult patients who received BRAF inhibitors (vemurafenib, dabrafenib, encorafenib) or combinations BRAF/MEK inhibitors (vemurafenib/cobimetinib; dabrafenib/trametinib; encorafenib/binimetinib). We utilized the cross-sectional FDA's Adverse Events Reporting System (FAERS) and longitudinal Truven Health Analytics/IBM MarketScan database from 2011 to 2018. Various CVAEs, including arterial hypertension, heart failure (HF), and venous thromboembolism (VTE), were studied using adjusted regression techniques.

RESULTS

In FAERS, 7752 AEs were reported (40% BRAF and 60% BRAF/MEK). Median age was 60 (IQR 49-69) years with 45% females and 97% with melanoma. Among these, 567 (7.4%) were cardiovascular adverse events (mortality rate 19%). Compared with monotherapy, combination therapy was associated with increased risk for HF (reporting odds ratio [ROR] = 1.62 (CI = 1.14-2.30); p = 0.007), arterial hypertension (ROR = 1.75 (CI = 1.12-2.89); p = 0.02) and VTE (ROR = 1.80 (CI = 1.12-2.89); p = 0.02). Marketscan had 657 patients with median age of 53 years (IQR 46-60), 39.3% female, and 88.7% with melanoma. There were 26.2% CVAEs (CI: 14.8%-36%) within 6 months of medication start in those receiving combination therapy versus 16.7% CVAEs (CI: 13.1%-20.2%) among those receiving monotherapy. Combination therapy was associated with CVAEs compared to monotherapy (adjusted HR: 1.56 (CI: 1.01-2.42); p = 0.045).

CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE

In two independent real-world cohorts, combination BRAF/MEK inhibitors were associated with increased CVAEs compared to monotherapy, especially HF, and hypertension.

Racial and Socioeconomic Disparities in Cardiotoxicity Among Women With HER2-Positive Breast Cancer

Breast cancer and cardiovascular-specific mortality are higher among blacks compared with whites, but disparities in cancer therapy-related adverse cardiovascular outcomes have not been well studied. We assessed for the contribution of race and socioeconomic status on cardiotoxicity among women with HER2-positive breast cancer. This retrospective cohort analysis studied women diagnosed with stage I-III HER2-positive breast cancer from 2004-2013. All underwent left ventricular ejection fraction assessment at baseline and at least one follow-up after beginning trastuzumab. Multivariable logistic regression was used to assess the association between race and socioeconomic status (SES) on cardiotoxicity, defined by clinical heart failure (New York Heart Association class III or IV) or asymptomatic left ventricular ejection fraction decline (absolute decrease ≥ 10% to < 53%, or ≥ 16%). Blacks had the highest prevalence of hypertension, diabetes, and increased BMI. Neighborhood-level SES measures including household income and educational attainment were lower for blacks compared with whites and others. The unadjusted cardiotoxicity risk was significantly higher in black compared with white women (OR, 2.10; 95% CI, 1.42 to 3.10). In a multivariable analysis, this disparity persisted after controlling for relevant cardiovascular risk factors (adjusted OR, 1.88; 95% CI, 1.25 to 2.84). Additional models adjusting for SES factors of income, educational attainment, and insurance status did not significantly alter the association between race and cardiotoxicity. In conclusion, black women are at increased risk of cardiotoxicity during HER2-targeted breast cancer therapy. Future etiologic analyses, particularly studies exploring biologic or genetic mechanisms, are needed to further elucidate and reduce racial disparities in cardiotoxicity.

Role of cardiovascular magnetic resonance in early detection and treatment of cardiac dysfunction in oncology patients

The purpose of this review is to provide an overview of the essential role that cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) has in the field of cardio-oncology. Recent findings: CMR has been increasingly used for early identification of cancer therapy related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) due to its precision in detecting subtle changes in cardiac function and for myocardial tissue characterization. Summary: CMR is able to identify subclinical CTRCD in patients receiving potentially cardiotoxic chemotherapy and guide initiation of cardio protective therapy. Multiparametric analysis with myocardial strain, tissue characterization play a critical role in understanding important clinical questions in cardio-oncology.