PMID: 18199989Jan 18, 2008Paper

Assessment of anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity with biochemical markers

Experimental Oncology
J M HoracekJ Maly

Abstract

Assessment of acute and chronic cardiotoxicity of anthracyclines in patients treated for acute leukemia (AL) with biochemical markers - "N-terminal pro brain natriuretic peptide" (NT-proBNP), cardiac troponin T (cTnT), creatine kinase MB (CK-MB mass), and echocardiography. Twenty-six adult AL patients (mean age 46.2 +/- 12.4 years, 15 males) treated with 2-6 cycles of chemotherapy (CT) containing anthracyclines in the total cumulative dose of 464.3 +/- 117.5 mg/m2 were studied. Cardiac evaluation was performed at baseline, after first and last CT with anthracyclines and 6 months after CT. Mean baseline NT-proBNP concentration was 117.7 +/- 46.4 ng/L (slightly elevated in 3 patients). After first and last CT, NT-proBNP elevations to 299.7 +/- 176.2 ng/L and 287.1 +/- 147.4 ng/L were observed, respectively. Six months after CT, mean NT-proBNP concentration was 362.5 +/- 304.9 ng/L (elevated in 16 patients). Changes in NT-proBNP were significant in comparison with the baseline values (p < 0.001). Six months after CT, two patients with marked NT-proBNP elevations during CT developed treatment-related cardiomyopathy with symptoms of heart failure. NT-proBNP correlated with systolic and diastolic LV dysfunction on echocardiography (r...Continue Reading

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