N-Terminal Pro-Brain Natriuretic Peptide Plasma Levels Are Associated with Intermediate-Term Follow-Up Cancer in Coronary Patients

Natriuretic peptides: Another tool for the management of cancer?

The connection between heart failure (HF) and cancer through multiple pathways such as inflammation, oxidative stress, and neurohormonal activation, among others, is well established. As a consequence, increases in plasma levels of several biomarkers have been described in both disorders. The most consistent information is related to natriuretic peptides (NPs). Although they are known to be produced in the ventricles as a response to myocardial distension, and thus can be useful for the diagnosis and prognosis of HF, and also for the management of chemotherapy-induced myocardial damage, they are also produced by tumour cells. In this regard, increased plasma levels of NPs have been described in patients with multiple malignancies in the absence of volume overload. Natriuretic peptide levels have been shown to correlate directly with the extension of tumours and with poorer outcomes. Moreover, some data indicate that they may help in the detection of subclinical tumours. Given that these peptides have been described to have anti-proliferative and anti-angiogenic effects, a plausible hypothesis is that they may be produced by tumours as a negative feed-back mechanism to avoid tumour progression. This would lead to increased levels of NPs in plasma that could be potentially useful for early detection of malignancies as well as for a prognostic assessment. Nevertheless, since the sample size of many studies published so far is limited, more data are needed to provide consistent data in order to confirm or rule out this hypothesis.

NT-proBNP as a neuroendocrine tumor biomarker: beyond heart failure

Introduction

Neuroendocrine tumors (NETs) are rare neoplasms that occur in various locations throughout the body. Despite their usually benign character, they might manifest with distant metastases. N-terminal prohormone of brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) has previously been described as a useful biomarker in diagnosing carcinoid heart disease (CHD), a common advanced NETs manifestation. We observed plasma concentrations of NT-proBNP in metastatic midgut NETs over a 4-year period.

Objectives

We aimed to explore NT-proBNP concentrations in states of varying levels of cell proliferation and disease status. Our goal was to investigate NT-proBNP's role in predicting disease progression in relation to previous research and up-to-date scientific guidelines.

Patients and methods

We performed a retrospective multivariate analysis of NT-proBNP concentrations in 41 midgut NETs patients treated with somatostatin analogs, all with liver metastases. NT-proBNP concentrations were measured in every patient across 16 evenly distanced time points over a 48-month period and were compared to variables such as sex, age, grading, Ki-67, primary tumor location, and CT findings.

Results

NT-proBNP concentrations correlated positively with higher liver tumor burden, higher grading, high Ki-67 levels, and with progressive disease in CT. There were no differences in NT-proBNP levels with regard to primary location (ileum vs jejunum), sex, and age.

Conclusion

We conclude that NT-proBNP is a useful analyte for monitoring NETs progression, due to its increased concentration in scenarios implying increased cellular proliferation. These long-term follow-up results align with previous findings and suggest an additional role for NT-proBNP in diagnostic algorithms, beyond a CHD biomarker.

B-Type Natriuretic Peptide and Long-Term Cardiovascular Mortality in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease

Background

The plasma concentration of B‐type natriuretic peptide (BNP) is a strong predictor of adverse cardiovascular events. The aim of this study was to determine whether the association between plasma BNP concentration and cardiovascular mortality is sustained or diminishes with increasing time after BNP is measured.

Methods and Results

Six thousand seven hundred forty patients with a history of myocardial infarction or unstable angina who participated in the LIPID (Long‐Term Intervention with Pravastatin in Ischemic Disease) trial had plasma BNP concentration measured at baseline and after 1 year. Associations with cardiovascular mortality were evaluated in landmark analyses 1 to <5, 5 to <10, and 10 to 16 years after randomization. There were 1640 cardiovascular deaths. The cardiovascular mortality rate increased progressively from 10.2 to 19.1 to 26.3/1000 patient‐years from 1 to <5, 5 to <10, and 10 to 16 years after baseline, respectively. The average of baseline and 1‐year BNP concentration was more strongly associated with cardiovascular mortality compared with baseline or 1‐year BNP only. The hazard ratio (HR) for cardiovascular death associated with each doubling of average BNP concentration was similar during years 1 to <5 (HR, 1.53 [95% CI, 1.44–1.63]), years 5 to <10 (HR, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.44–1.60]), and years 10–16 (HR, 1.43 [95% CI, 1.36–1.50]), P<0.0001 for all.

Conclusions

BNP concentration remains an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality more than a decade after it is measured. Because of random variation in plasma concentrations, the average of >1 BNP measurement improves long‐term risk prediction.