Cardiac effects within 3 months of BEAC high-dose therapy in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients undergoing autologous stem cell transplantation

CEAC (oral semustine, etoposide, cytarabine and cyclophosphamide) vs BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine, and melphalan) conditioning regimen of autologous stem cell transplantation for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma: a post-hoc, propensity score-matched, cohort study in Chinese patients

Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is a salvage therapy for relapsed or refractory diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL). We have developed a novel conditioning regimen called CEAC (oral semustine 250 mg/m2 d-6, etoposide 300 mg/m2 d-5 ~ d-2, cytarabine 500 mg/m2 d-5 ~ d-2, and cyclophosphamide 1200 mg/m2 d-5 ~ d-2) In lymphoma patients in China. Here, we conducted a study to compare the conventional BEAM regimen with the CEAC regimen in 110 DLBCL patients. Propensity-score matching was performed in a 1:4 ratio (22 patients received BEAM and 88 received CEAC). Our results showed no significant difference in the overall response rate (95% vs 97%, P = 1.000) and complete response rate (66% vs 73%, P = 0.580) between the two cohorts. The 5-year progression-free survival (PFS), 5-year overall survival (OS), and 5-year cumulative incidence of relapse (CIR) for all patients were 72% (95% CI 62%-82%), 92% (95% CI 86%-97%), and 29% (95% CI 17%-38%), respectively. There was no significant difference in the 5-year PFS (80% vs 70%, P = 0.637), 5-year OS (95% vs 91%, P = 0.496), and 5-year CIR (20% vs 30%, P = 0.733) between cohorts. In terms of safety, the CEAC cohort had a lower incidence rate of grade 1-2 gastrointestinal hemorrhage (P = 0.023) and severe nausea (P = 0.007) compared with the BEAM cohort. In conclusion, the CEAC regimen seems to be a suitable alternative to the BEAM regimen for ASCT in DLBCL patients.

Busulfan, Melphalan, and Etoposide (BuME) Showed an Equivalent Effect to Busulfan, Cyclophosphamide, and Etoposide (BuCE) as Conditioning Therapy for Autologous Stem Cell Transplantation in Patients with Relapsed or High-Risk Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma: A Multicenter Randomized Phase II Study bythe Consortium for Improving Survival of Lymphoma (CISL)

PURPOSE

High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is the standard management for relapsed or high-risk non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). We reported the busulfan, melphalan, and etoposide (BuME) conditioning regimen was effective in patients with relapsed or high-risk NHL. Moreover, the busulfan, cyclophosphamide, and etoposide (BuCE) conditioning regimen has been used widely in ASCT for NHL. Therefore, based on these encouraging results, this randomized phase II multicenter trial compared the outcomes of BuME and BuCE as conditioning therapies for ASCT in patients with NHL.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Patients were randomly assigned to receive either BuME (n=36) or BuCE (n=39). The BuME regimen was comprised of busulfan (3.2 mg/kg/day, intravenously) administered on days -7, -6, and -5, etoposide (400 mg/m2 intravenously) on days -5 and -4, and melphalan (50 mg/m2/day intravenously) on days -3 and -2. The BuCE regimen was comprised of busulfan (3.2 mg/kg/day intravenously) on days -7, -6, and -5, etoposide (400 mg/m2/day intravenously) on days -5 and -4, and cyclophosphamide (50 mg/kg/day intravenously) on days -3 and -2. The primary endpoint was 2-year progression-free survival (PFS).

RESULTS

Seventy-five patients were enrolled. Eleven patients (30.5%) in the BuME group and 13 patients (33.3%) in the BuCE group had disease progression or died. The 2-year PFS rate was 65.4% in the BuME group and 60.6% in the BuCE group (p=0.746). There were no non-relapse mortalities within 100 days after transplantation.

CONCLUSION

There were no significant differences in PFS between the two groups. Therefore, busulfan-based conditioning regimens, BuME and BuCE, may be important treatment substitutes for the BCNU-containing regimens.

Comparison of CEAC, BEAM and IEAC conditioning regimens followed by autologous stem cell transplantation in peripheral T-cell lymphoma patients

Autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is an important treatment for peripheral T-cell lymphoma (PTCL) patients both during front and salvage therapy. In order to explore the appropriate conditioning regiments and seek ways to improve the efficacy and safety of PTCL, we retrospectively compared the outcomes of 52 PTCL patients treated with CEAC (lomustine, etoposide, cytarabine and cyclophosphamide; n = 28), BEAM (carmustine, etoposide, cytarabine and melphalan; n = 14) and IEAC (idarubicin, etoposide, cytarabine and cyclophosphamide; n = 10) regimens followed by ASCT at our center between 2012 and 2021. Although the time of neutrophil engraftment in CEAC group was earlier than that in IEAC group (P = 0.042) and platelet infusion in BEAM group was significantly more than CEAC group (P = 0.042), there were no significant difference in platelet engraftment, hematopoietic engraftment and red blood cells infusion among the 3 groups. The transplantation related mortality rate (TRM) and the early overall response rate (ORR) was 3.8% and 85.7% respectively. The 5-year OS and PFS was 62.8% (95% CI: 54.8-70.8%) and 61.0% (95% CI: 53.1-68.9%) respectively. There was no significant difference in TRM, ORR and survival among the 3 groups. Univariate and multivariate analysis showed that high PIT score (the T cell lymphoma prognostic index, > 1) and failure to reach complete response (non-CR) at 3 months after ASCT were common risk factors for OS (P = 0.036 and 0.007) and PFS (P = 0.021 and 0.012). In conclusion, CEAC and IEAC regimen can be used as alternative conditioning regiments for ASCT in PTCL patients, and their efficacy and safety are comparable to BEAM regiment. Patients with high PIT score and non-CR early after ASCT had worse outcomes.

Chemotherapy-Induced Arrhythmia - Underrecognized and Undertreated

Cancer is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. Chemotherapy-induced arrhythmia is a potential complication of treatment that confers increased morbidity and mortality. The relationship between chemotherapeutic agents and arrhythmias is poorly established. Atrial fibrillation, ventricular ectopic beats, and prolonged QTc are the most common arrhythmias suffered by cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. The treatment of atrial fibrillation in cancer is complicated by complex drug-drug interactions and a lack of evidence guiding practice. Furthermore, the normal risk assessment scores utilized in the decision-making for anticoagulation in the normal population are not validated in the cancer population. Multiple agents are implicated in prolonging the QTc, and this can often have adverse consequences for both the patient and the treatment of their cancer. This can manifest as torsades de pointes and sudden cardiac death. It is advised that, during treatment, oncologists should have close liaison with cardio-oncologists to ensure optimum patient management.

Modified conditioning regimen with idarubicin followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for invasive B-cell non-Hodgkin's lymphoma patients

High-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is still a consolidation treatment choice for relapsed/refractory B-cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) patients and some aggressive B-cell NHL as frontline therapy. Due to the shortage of carmustine, we switched to idarubicin-substituted BEAC (IEAC) conditioning regimen. We retrospectively compared the outcomes of 72 aggressive B-cell NHL patients treated with IEAC or BEAC regimens followed by ASCT as upfront consolidative treatment. The median time to neutrophil and platelet reconstitution showed no difference between IEAC and BEAC groups. IEAC regimen was well tolerated without increase of adverse events. Transplant-related mortality didn’t occur. The overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) of IEAC group (33 and 23 months) were a little longer than that of BEAC group (30 and 18 months). However, due to the small sample numbers, there’s no significant difference in OS and PFS between IEAC and BEAC group with DLBCL or MCL. Multivariate analysis showed that AnnArbor staging, IPI score, lactate dehydrogenase level, remission of disease, modified regimen were related with PFS and OS. In conclusion, IEAC regimen was well tolerated and replacement with idarubicin could be an alternative when carmustine was not available.

Cardiovascular risk assessment and management of patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation

The purpose of this review is to provide a framework for the cardiovascular evaluation and management of patients undergoing hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT). To accomplish this, we have performed an extensive literature review, critically analyzed the available evidence, and developed a set of recommendations to guide best practice. Herein, we discuss the cardiovascular risk profile of patients undergoing HCT along with putative mechanisms of HCT-induced cardiovascular injury. We then present an algorithm for cardiovascular testing and risk mitigation of potential recipients. Last, we address the management of the most prevalent cardiovascular conditions associated with HCT recipients.

Treatment with intravenous busulfan, melphalan, and etoposide followed by autologous stem cell transplantation in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma: a multicenter study from the consortium for improving survival of lymphoma

Several high-dose therapy (HDT) conditioning regimens have been used to treat non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), such as bis-chloroethylnitrosourea (BCNU)/etoposide/cytosine arabinoside/melphalan (BEAM), BCNU/etoposide/cytosine arabinoside/cyclophosphamide (BEAC), and cyclophosphamide/BCNU/etoposide (CBV). BCNU is an active drug in HDT of NHL, but the supply is limited in some countries, including Korea. Busulfan has been used in allogeneic and autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT). This phase II study evaluated the efficacy of busulfan/melphalan/etoposide (BuME) as a conditioning regimen for HDT in relapsed or high-risk NHL. The regimen consisted of intravenous busulfan (3.2 mg/kg/day) on days -8, -7, and -6, etoposide (400 mg/m² /day) on days -5 and -4, and melphalan (50 mg/m² /day) on days -3 and -2. A total of 46 patients were included in the study, with 36 (78.3%) achieving a complete response after ASCT. The 2-year progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) rates for all patients were 46.7% (95% CI, 31.8-60.4%) and 63.7% (95% CI, 47.7-76.0%), respectively. There was no development of veno-occlusive disease and no treatment-related deaths within 100 days after ASCT. These results indicate that a BuME regimen is well-tolerated and effective for patients with relapsed or high-risk NHL, and may be comparable to some previously used regimens. This regimen may be useful as a substitute for BCNU-containing regimens.

High-dose therapy with BEAC conditioning compared to BEAM conditioning prior to autologous stem cell transplantation for non-Hodgkin lymphoma: no differences in toxicity or outcome. A matched-control study of the EBMT-Lymphoma Working Party

A recent shortage of melphalan has prompted the use of alternatives to BEAM (BCNU, Etoposide, Cytarabine, Melphalan) conditioning for autologous stem cell transplantion (ASCT). The BEAC (BCNU, Etoposide, Cytarabine, Cyclophosphamide) regimen has been employed as a conditioning regimen in lymphoma patients. However, there have been recent concerns about the toxicity of BEAC. We conducted a retrospective analysis of the EBMT database comparing the outcome of patients conditioned using BEAC with a matched cohort of patients conditioned with BEAM. In the BEAC cohort (n = 383), 25 patients died from non-relapse mortality (NRM) events (32% owing to MOF or cardiac toxicity). In the BEAM cohort (n = 766) there were 34 NRM events (23% owing to MOF or cardiac toxicity). The 1-year cumulative incidence of NRM was 4% in the BEAC cohort and 3% in the BEAM group (p = ns). The 2-year relapse/progression rate was 32% with BEAC and 33% with BEAM (p = ns). At 2 years the progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were 63% and 78% for BEAC and 63% and 77% for BEAM-conditioned patients (p = ns for PFS and OS). The toxicity observed with BEAC conditioning as measured by NRM was similar to that seen with BEAM. The outcomes following BEAC were similar to those seen with BEAM, suggesting that BEAC is a safe conditioning regimen.

Anticancer drug-induced cardiac rhythm disorders: Current knowledge and basic underlying mechanisms

Significant advances in cancer treatment have resulted in decreased cancer related mortality for many malignancies with some cancer types now considered chronic diseases. Despite these improvements, there is increasing recognition that many cancer patients or cancer survivors can develop cardiovascular diseases, either due to the cancer itself or as a result of anticancer therapy. Much attention has focused on heart failure; however, other cardiotoxicities, notably cardiac rhythm disorders, can occur without underlying cardiomyopathy. Supraventricular tachycardias occur in cancer patients treated with cytotoxic chemotherapy (anthracyclines, gemcitabine, cisplatin and alkylating-agents) or kinase-inhibitors (KIs) such as ibrutinib. Ventricular arrhythmias, with a subset of them being torsades-de-pointes (TdP) favored by QTc prolongation have been reported: this may be the result of direct hERG-channel inhibition or a more recently-described mechanism of phosphoinositide-3-kinase inhibition. The major anticancer drugs responsible for QTc prolongation in this context are KIs, arsenic trioxide, anthracyclines, histone deacetylase inhibitors, and selective estrogen receptor modulators. Anticancer drug-induced cardiac rhythm disorders remain an underappreciated complication even by experienced clinicians. Moreover, the causal relationship of a particular anticancer drug with cardiac arrhythmia occurrence remains challenging due in part to patient comorbidities and complex treatment regimens. For example, any cancer patient may also be diagnosed with common diseases such as hypertension, diabetes or heart failure which increase an individual's arrhythmia susceptibility. Further, anticancer drugs are generally usually used in combination, increasing the challenge around establishing causation. Thus, arrhythmias appear to be an underappreciated adverse effect of anticancer agents and the incidence, significance and underlying mechanisms are now being investigated.

Alternative Biomarkers for Combined Biology

Chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CRCD) has challenged clinicians to hesitate in using cardiotoxic agents such as anthracycline and several protein kinase inhibitors. As early detection of CRCD and timely cessation of cardiotoxic agents became a strategy to avoid CRCD, cardiac troponin and natriuretic peptide are measured to monitor cardiotoxicity; however, there are inconsistencies in their predictability of CRCD. Alternative biomarkers have been researched extensively for potential use as more sensitive and accurate biomarkers. The mechanisms of CRCD and previous studies on traditional and novel biomarkers for CRCD are examined to enlighten future direction of investigation in this combined biology.

Prospective Evaluation of Sunitinib-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Patients with Metastatic Renal Cell Carcinoma

Purpose: To prospectively evaluate cardiotoxicity risk with sunitinib in metastatic renal cell carcinoma (mRCC) routine clinical practice using comprehensive echocardiography and biomarker phenotyping.Experimental Design: In a multicenter prospective study of 90 patients with mRCC, echocardiography and biomarkers of cardiovascular injury and stress were quantified at baseline, 3.5, 15, and 33 weeks following sunitinib initiation. These "on-drug" visits corresponded to cycles 1, 3, and 6, respectively. Left ventricular (LV) dysfunction was defined as an absolute decline in LV ejection fraction (LVEF) by ≥10% to a value of <50%. Conditional survival analyses predicted the risk of LV dysfunction. Linear mixed-effects models estimated changes in LVEF, high-sensitivity Troponin I (hsTnI), and B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) over time.Results: The predicted risk of LV dysfunction by cycle 6 was 9.7% (95% confidence interval, 3%-17%). The majority of events occurred in the first treatment cycle. This risk diminished to 5% and 2% in patients who had not experienced dysfunction by the completion of cycles 1 and 3, respectively. All evaluable patients who experienced LV dysfunction had subsequent improvement in LVEF with careful management. Six patients (6.7%) developed hsTnI elevations >21.5 pg/mL, and 11 additional patients (12.2%) developed BNP elevations >100 pg/mL. These elevations similarly tended to occur early and resolved over time.Conclusions: On average, patients with mRCC receiving sunitinib exhibit modest declines in LVEF and nonsignificant changes in hsTnI and BNP. However, approximately 9.7% to 18.9% of patients develop more substantive abnormalities. These changes occur early and are largely recoverable with careful management. Clin Cancer Res; 23(14); 3601-9. ©2017 AACR.

Use of biomarkers for the assessment of chemotherapy-induced cardiac toxicity

OBJECTIVES

To review the evidence for the use of various biomarkers in the detection of chemotherapy associated cardiac damage.

DESIGN AND METHODS

Pubmed.gov was queried using the search words chemotherapy and cardiac biomarkers with the filters of past 10years, humans, and English language. An emphasis was placed on obtaining primary research articles looking at the utility of biomarkers for the detection of chemotherapy-mediated cardiac injury.

RESULTS

Biomarkers may help identify patients undergoing treatment who are at high risk for cardiotoxicity and may assist in identification of a low risk cohort that does not necessitate continued intensive screening. cTn assays are the best studied biomarkers in this context and may represent a promising and potentially valuable modality for detecting cardiac toxicity in patients undergoing chemotherapy. Monitoring cTnI levels may provide information regarding the development of cardiac toxicity before left ventricular dysfunction becomes apparent on echocardiography or via clinical symptoms. A host of other biomarkers have been evaluated for their utility in the field of chemotherapy related cardiac toxicity with intermittent success; further trials are necessary to determine what role they may end up playing for prediction and prognostication in this setting.

CONCLUSIONS

Biomarkers represent an exciting potential complement or replacement for echocardiographic monitoring of chemotherapy related cardiac toxicity which may allow for earlier realization of the degree of cardiac damage occurring during treatment, creating the opportunity for more timely modulation of therapy.

Pre-existing arterial hypertension as a risk factor for early left ventricular systolic dysfunction following (R)-CHOP chemotherapy in patients with lymphoma

Experimental studies in animals suggest that arterial hypertension may be a specific risk factor predisposing to anthracycline cardiotoxicity. The aim was determination of the effect of pre-existing arterial hypertension on the development of early left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) directly after rituximab, cyclophosphamide, doxorubicin, vincristin, prednisone ([R]-CHOP) chemotherapy in patients with lymphomas.The study included 208 patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma receiving conventional doxorubicin. LVSD was defined as a decrease of left ventricular ejection fraction below 50% and at least by 10 percentage points from baseline value. Patients with pre-existing hypertension more frequently developed new LVSD (19.7% vs. 6.6%; P = .004), pitting edema of the ankles (23.9% vs. 9.5%; P = .005), and nycturia (21.1% vs. 7.3%; P = .004) compared with patients without hypertension. As a consequence, the hypertension subgroup suffered from more delays of subsequent chemotherapy cycles (26.8% vs. 14.6%; P = .03), more reductions of doxorubicin doses (18.3% vs. 8.8%; P = .05), and premature discontinuations of chemotherapy (16.9% vs. 7.3%; P = .03). On logistic regression analyses, hypertension was one of the most important risk factors for developing new LVSD after (R)-CHOP chemotherapy.Arterial hypertension confers a significant risk of early LVSD in lymphoma patients treated with (R)-CHOP chemotherapy, interfering with its recommended schedule of administration.

Assessment and comparison of acute cardiac toxicity during high-dose cyclophosphamide and high-dose etoposide stem cell mobilization regimens with N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide

This study was undertaken to prospectively evaluate and compare the acute effect of high-dose (HD), cyclophosphamide (CY) and HD etoposide (ET) on cardiac function assessed by plasma N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in patients undergoing stem-cell mobilization. NT-proBNP was measured at baseline and 6h after completion of mobilization chemotherapy (MC) in 58 patients. Of 58 patients, 33 received HD CY, and 25 received HD ET. The mean baseline NT-proBNP values were similar between the CY and ET group (119.5 vs 149, respectively, p>0.05). NT-proBNP levels were increased in almost all patients, except 2 from CY group. A significant difference between NT-proBNP concentrations at baseline and 6h after completion of MC was observed in both groups (p<0.001). The value of changes in NT-proBNP was more significant in the ET group. The changes in NT-proBNP according to the MC regimens were analyzed and a cut-off value of 422pg/ml was determined. Based on this cut-off value, only the type of MC was significantly correlated with the chances in NT-proBNP concentrations. Receiving HD ET as a MC was found to be 5.25 times more cardiotoxic compared to the HD CY. Congestive heart failure was seen in 3 (5.2%) patients. Our results suggest that stem cell mobilization with HD CY and HD ET cause acute cardiac toxicity mediated by neurohumoral activation, which was detected by the increases in cardiac biomarker NT-proBNP, and as a matter of fact cardiotoxicity of HD ET seems to be more potent than those exhibited by HD CY.

Enalapril and carvedilol for preventing chemotherapy-induced left ventricular systolic dysfunction in patients with malignant hemopathies: the OVERCOME trial (preventiOn of left Ventricular dysfunction with Enalapril and caRvedilol in patients submitted to intensive ChemOtherapy for the treatment of Malignant hEmopathies)

OBJECTIVES

This study sought to evaluate the efficacy of enalapril and carvedilol to prevent chemotherapy-induced left ventricular systolic dysfunction (LVSD) in patients with hematological malignancies.

BACKGROUND

Current chemotherapy may induce LVSD. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and beta-blockers prevent LVSD in animal models of anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy.

METHODS

In this randomized, controlled study, 90 patients with recently diagnosed acute leukemia (n = 36) or patients with malignant hemopathies undergoing autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) (n = 54) and without LVSD were randomly assigned to a group receiving enalapril and carvedilol (n = 45) or to a control group (n = 45). Echocardiographic and cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging studies were performed before and at 6 months after randomization. The primary efficacy endpoint was the absolute change from baseline in LV ejection fraction (LVEF).

RESULTS

The mean age of patients was 50 ± 13 years old, and 43% were women. At 6 months, LVEF did not change in the intervention group but significantly decreased in controls, resulting in a -3.1% absolute difference by echocardiography (p = 0.035) and -3.4% (p = 0.09) in the 59 patients who underwent CMR. The corresponding absolute difference (95% confidence interval [CI]) in LVEF was -6.38% (95% CI: -11.9 to -0.9) in patients with acute leukemia and -1.0% (95% CI: -4.5 to 2.5) in patients undergoing autologous HSCT (p = 0.08 for interaction between treatment effect and disease category). Compared to controls, patients in the intervention group had a lower incidence of the combined event of death or heart failure (6.7% vs. 22%, p = 0.036) and of death, heart failure, or a final LVEF <45% (6.7% vs. 24.4%, p = 0.02).

CONCLUSIONS

Combined treatment with enalapril and carvedilol may prevent LVSD in patients with malignant hemopathies treated with intensive chemotherapy. The clinical relevance of this strategy should be confirmed in larger studies. (Prevention of Left Ventricular Dysfunction During Chemotherapy [OVERCOME]; NCT01110824).

Fluorouracil Induces Myocardial Ischemia With Increases of Plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Lactic Acid but Without Dysfunction of Left Ventricle

Purpose

Fluorouracil (FU) is a cornerstone of colorectal cancer treatment; however, it has clinical and subclinical influence on the heart. This study aimed to clarify the pathophysiology, risk factors, and long-term effects of FU cardiotoxicity.

Patients and Methods

The study prospectively accrued colorectal cancer patients (n = 106) completely resected and adjuvantly treated with FU and oxaliplatin according to the FOLFOX4 regimen (infusional FU, folinic acid, and oxaliplatin). Serial measurements were made of systolic and diastolic features of the left ventricle by radionuclide ventriculography, plasma levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), lactic acid, and ECG before chemotherapy, immediately after a treatment infusion, and at follow-up 2 weeks after cessation of the intended 12 treatment courses and were further evaluated by multivariate regression analysis that included cardiovascular history and its risk factors.

Results

In the entire cohort, NT-proBNP significantly increased from baseline 14.5 ± 3.2 pmol/L (mean ± standard error) to 28.3 ± 5.3 pmol/L during FU therapy (P < .001). Nine patients (8.5%) with cardiotoxicity had significantly higher NT-proBNP of 55.3 ± 40.8 pmol/L compared with 25.4 ± 4.1 pmol/L in those without (P < .001). In multivariate analysis, the FU-induced rise of NT-proBNP was significantly higher in females (P < .001). Plasma lactic acid significantly increased from baseline (1.3 ± 0.1 mmol/L to 1.8 ± 0.1 mmol/L) during FU therapy (P < .001). Left ventricular ejection fraction at baseline of 0.66 ± 0.01 remained unchanged at 0.65 ± 0.01 during FU therapy and 0.66 ± 0.01 at follow-up (P = .4).

Conclusion

FU therapy generally induces myocardial neuroendocrine changes with increasing plasma NT-proBNP and lactic acid but without long-term dysfunction of the left ventricle. The usability of NT-proBNP as a predictive marker for FU cardiotoxicity remains to be clarified.

Late potentials and QT dispersion after high-dose chemotherapy in patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma

The most common cardiotoxic effects of high-dose cyclophosphamide (CY) are electrocardiographic changes and transient arrhythmias. Therefore, we prospectively assessed serial electrocardiogram (ECG) and signal-averaged electrocardiogram (SAECG) recordings in 30 adult patients with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) receiving high-dose CY as part of high-dose chemotherapy (HDT) regimen. All patients were treated with anthracyclines earlier. Heart-rate-corrected QT interval and QT dispersion (QTc and QTc dispersion) were measured from ECG. QRS duration and late potentials (LPs) were analysed from SAECG. Both ECG and SAECG were recorded 1 day (d) prior to HDT (d-7) at baseline, and 1 day (d-2), 7 days (d+7), 12 days (+12) and 3 months (m+3) after HDT. Stem cells were infused on day 0 (d0). Cardiac systolic and diastolic function were assessed on (d-7), (d+12) and (m+3) by radionuclide ventriculography. At baseline, four patients presented with LPs. Cardiac systolic function decreased significantly (53 +/- 2; 49 +/- 2%, P = 0.009 versus baseline), whilst no patient developed acute heart failure. QRS duration prolonged and RMS(40) reduced significantly versus baseline (104 +/- 3; 107 +/- 3 ms, P = 0.003; 41 +/- 4; 38 +/- 3 microV, P = 0.03), and six patients (21%) presented with LPs after CY treatment. Both QTc interval and QTc dispersion increased versus baseline (402 +/- 5; 423 +/- 5 ms, P<0.001; 32 +/- 2; 44 +/- 3 ms, P = 0.012), and six patients (20%) developed abnormal QT dispersion. In conclusion, high-dose CY causes subclinical and transient electrical instability reflected by occurrence of LPs as well as increased QTc interval and QT dispersion. Thus, longer follow-up is required to confirm the meaning of these adverse effects on cardiac function and quality of life.

Acute systolic dysfunction within two weeks of high-dose chemotherapy conditioning before autologous bone marrow transplant: a case report

Studies have shown various cardiotoxic effects of high-dose chemotherapy (HDC) used for conditioning before autologous bone marrow transplant (ABMT) including arrhythmias but only a transient small decrease in left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF). To our knowledge, an acute dramatic decrease in LVEF after HDC preconditioning has never been reported. We report a patient presenting with an acutely symptomatic heart failure within 2 weeks of receiving HDC conditioning for ABMT with an LVEF drop from normal to <30%. With stringent management and follow-up with regular echocardiograms for medication reconciliation, 5 months later she regained her LVEF of 50%.

The differential diagnosis of an elevated amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide level

Although amino-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptides (NT-proBNP) are useful for the diagnosis or exclusion of heart failure (HF), this marker may identify a wide range of disease processes other than HF. Indeed, elevation of NT-proBNP may occur in a number of heart diseases (including heart muscle disease, valve disease, rhythm abnormalities, pulmonary hypertension, and cytotoxic injury to the heart) and in disease processes other than primary cardiac illnesses, including gram-negative sepsis. Importantly, although NT-proBNP may increase in settings other than HF, the presence and severity of such NT-proBNP release is often significantly associated with risk for adverse outcome. Accordingly, elevation of NT-proBNP in the context of non-HF situations should not be regarded as a "false-positive" finding, and elevated NT-proBNP values should not be discarded without consideration of the serious adverse outcomes associated with the elevation. Future studies will be necessary to further understand the utility of NT-proBNP testing in states other than cardiovascular disease.