The improved outcomes with new cancer therapies have led to a substantial increase
in the number of cancer survivors over the past decade and to a new subspecialty,
cardio‐oncology. As the number of cardio‐oncology clinics and the interest in the
cardiology community are steadily growing, so is the need for scientific evidence
to guide our clinical practice. Common problems encountered in cardio‐oncology clinics
range from surveillance, prevention, and treatment of adverse effects of cardiotoxic
cancer therapy and cardiovascular disease in patients with active or treated cancer
to issues on long‐term cancer survivorship. In light of the sparse direct evidence,
our practice is often solely based on extending the principles of general cardiology.
Major funding agencies have recognized this unmet need. The American Heart Association
recently announced Cardio‐Oncology as the topic area for the next round of Strategically
Focused Research Networks. Similarly, the National Institutes of Health/National Heart,
Lung, and Blood Institute is soliciting grant applications that seek to improve outcomes
in cancer treatment–related cardiotoxicity. These initiatives will generate essential
data to fill some of the current gaps in our understanding.
With its commitment to providing a platform for publications in areas not covered
by other American Heart Association journals, the Journal of the American Heart Association
(JAHA) invited the submission of reviews and original research on the topic of cardio‐oncology.
This is in line with the recent emergence of JACC: CardioOncology and Cardio‐Oncology,
a journal affiliated with the International Cardio‐Oncology Society.
The present cluster of articles in this issue includes reviews on highly pertinent
issues in the field, such as checkpoint inhibitor–induced myocarditis1 and multimodality
imaging.2 Articles that complement these reviews provide new evidence for cardiac
magnetic resonance imaging3 or cardiac biomarkers4 for the prediction of late cardiomyopathy
after anthracycline treatment and/or breast cancer. Given the high percentage of patients
who develop subclinical impairment of left ventricular (LV) function after anthracycline‐based
chemotherapy, Brown and colleagues offer their pragmatic views on whether guideline‐based
heart failure treatment should be deployed as prevention in this cohort and describe
how to select patients at greatest risk.5
The advent of transcutaneous aortic valve replacement (TAVR) has greatly increased
the number of patients deemed eligible for aortic valve replacement, even those with
significant comorbidities. Guha and collaborators examine the relative use rate, outcomes,
and dispositions in patients with and without cancer who underwent TAVR versus surgical
aortic valve replacement (SAVR).6 Another area that remains widely understudied and
poorly understood is radiation‐induced coronary disease, attributable in large part
to the lag period of decades before disease manifestation. Okwuosa and colleagues
provide an exploratory review of the sparse evidence that statins, aspirin, and colchicine
reduce the incidence of radiation‐induced cardiovascular disease.7
Last, this cluster includes a thought‐provoking review by Aboumsallem et al, highlighting
the communalities between cardiovascular diseases and cancer and their shared molecular
mechanisms, including inflammation, clonal hematopoiesis, and hypoxia.8 In line with
the proposed concept of reverse cardio‐oncology, Ledard et al provide first experimental
evidence that Slug/Snai2, a transcription factor with a well‐described role in cancer
progression, contributes to inflammation in dedifferentiated smooth muscle cells and,
potentially, atherosclerotic plaque formation and instability.9
Cardiac biomarkers are promising tools for the early detection and prediction of cancer
therapy–related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD). Prior studies have suggested that elevations
in cardiac troponins are common in patients treated with anthracyclines, with or without
trastuzumab, and that they predict the development of cardiac dysfunction.10, 11,
12, 13, 14, 15 The results with NT‐proBNP (N‐terminal pro‐B‐type natriuretic peptide)
as a predictor of CTRCD are less consistent.15, 16
Demissei and colleagues add to this literature with a large prospective cohort study
of >300 patients with breast cancer.4 Repeated cardiovascular phenotyping with established
and novel biomarkers, echocardiography, and clinical data attainment were performed
during and after therapy with anthracyclines and/or trastuzumab for up to 3.7 years.
CTRCD was defined as ≥10% decline in LV ejection fraction to a value <50%. CTRCD occurred
in 14.2%, 17.0%, and 39.1% of patients in the doxorubicin, trastuzumab, and doxorubicin+trastuzumab
groups, respectively. The authors report 4 main findings. First, high‐sensitivity
cardiac troponin T (hs‐cTnT) elevations were common after anthracycline therapy but
only modestly associated with decreases in LV ejection fraction and circumferential
strain. Neither baseline values nor repeated assessment was consistently associated
with the development of myocardial dysfunction. Thus, a routine serial evaluation
of hs‐cTnT to predict systolic dysfunction cannot be recommended. Second, elevated
hs‐cTnT at the time of completion of anthracycline therapy predicted subsequent risk
of myocardial dysfunction. Interestingly, an hs‐cTnT level <5 ng/L at that time point
had 100% sensitivity and negative predictive value for myocardial dysfunction at 1 year.
Third, repeated assessments of NT‐proBNP over 3.7 years revealed a significant association
with changes in LV ejection fraction and risk of myocardial dysfunction, particularly
in patients undergoing sequential anthracycline and trastuzumab therapy. On the basis
of these findings, the authors propose that routine serial assessment of NT‐proBNP
has the greatest utility in the surveillance of patients with breast cancer on this
regimen. Finally, elevated baseline levels of the oxidative stress marker myeloperoxidase
were associated with an increased risk of CTRCD.17 Thus, a one‐time evaluation of
hs‐cTnT at the end of the chemotherapy regimen may provide important prognostic information,
NT‐proBNP may be useful as biomarker in select patients, and more exploration of myeloperoxidase
as an additional biomarker is warranted.
Similar to serum biomarkers, defining early imaging parameters that predict LV dysfunction
at late time points after chemotherapy has remained an area of intense clinical and
scientific interest. Several studies have used cardiac magnetic resonance imaging
parameters, such as LV volumes, mass, function, and strain, gadolinium enhancement,
and T1 and T2 mapping, to identify early parameters of CTRCD.18 Herein, Suerken and
colleagues studied the predictive value of changes in LV end‐systolic volume or LV
end‐diastolic volume by cardiac magnetic resonance imaging at 3 months after initiation
of cardiotoxic chemotherapy compared with baseline for deterioration of LV function
at 2 years after treatment.3 Ninety‐one patients treated with cardiotoxic chemotherapy
were prospectively enrolled, and data from 71 were analyzed. Predominantly patients
with breast cancer, lymphoma, or sarcoma were included. The most common cardiotoxic
chemotherapy agents were anthracycline and cyclophosphamide. At 2 years after the
end of treatment, 42% of patients experienced a >5% decline in LV ejection fraction,
independently of cardiovascular disease risk factors. Three predictors of late LV
dysfunction were identified: an increase in LV end‐systolic volume of ≥3 mL and an
increase in global longitudinal strain of ≥10%. More important, the authors took the
volume alterations between the measurements at baseline and 3 months into consideration.
This is clinically relevant because hypovolemia during chemotherapy attributable to
nausea or emesis is not infrequent and an important obstacle to comparing volume‐based
measurements. In this context, the third predictor identified in this study, a minor
change in LV end‐systolic volume (increase or decrease of <3 mL) when accompanied
by a decrease in LV end‐diastolic volume (>10 mL), may be helpful. However, these
predictors do not directly translate to the more common evaluation by transthoracic
echocardiogram. Moreover, larger studies will be needed to identify combinations of
imaging variables that can predict larger declines in LV function that lead to heart
failure. In a recent study in a large animal model, T2 mapping, correlating with cardiomyocyte
edema, was proposed as the earliest marker of anthracycline‐induced cardiotoxicity.19
Not long ago, patients with cancer and severe aortic stenosis were commonly deemed
ineligible for SAVR. Herein, Guha and collaborators use International Classification
of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD‐9‐CM), codes to identify inpatients
with a primary diagnosis of aortic stenosis and then examine the effect of the modifier
“cancer” on the relative use rate, outcomes, and dispositions associated with propensity‐matched
cohorts (TAVR versus SAVR).6 Not surprisingly, over the period from 2012 to 2015,
the relative use rates of TAVR in patients with cancer steadily increased and surpassed
those of SAVR in this cohort. Compared with patients undergoing SAVR, TAVR was associated
with lower risk of acute kidney injury, lower length of stay, and higher likelihood
of discharge to home. Because the ICD‐9‐CM codes were used as primary data, several
limitations should be acknowledged, including the lack of clinical information, such
as aortic stenosis severity, other concomitant diseases, duration of cancer diagnosis,
and cancer stage. Moreover, no data on long‐term outcomes can be provided with this
study design. However, other recent studies have demonstrated that short‐term outcomes
and midterm survival rates were comparable in patients with and without cancer20 and
that only stage III or IV21 or active cancer22 was associated with higher mortality
compared with no‐cancer patients at 1 year after TAVR. Thus, TAVR provides a treatment
option for patients with cancer who may have previously been offered medical management
only.
Ledard and colleagues provide an example of the concept how novel targeted cancer
therapies can inform cardiovascular discovery.23 The process of epithelial‐mesenchymal
transition is pivotal in dispersing of carcinoma cells from primary epithelial tumors
and metastatic dissemination.24 During epithelial‐mesenchymal transition, epithelial
cells lose their characteristics, including cell adhesion and polarity, and acquire
mesenchymal morphological characteristics and the ability to migrate. Several studies
have described a role for the transcription factor Slug/Snai2 in this process (eg,
in breast cancer cell lines).25, 26, 27 Ledard and colleagues direct our attention
toward the parallels of epithelial‐mesenchymal transition and vascular smooth muscle
cell dedifferentiation, which prominently contributes to the development of atherosclerotic
plaques and neointima formation after balloon injury.9 In cultured vascular smooth
muscle cells, platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) induced the accumulation of Slug
in the nucleus. Mechanistically, Slug promoted a proinflammatory phenotype in vascular
smooth muscle cells by expression of cyclooxygenase‐2 and related prostaglandin E2
secretion but did not mediate PDGF‐dependent smooth muscle cell proliferation or migration.
The maintenance of a foam phenotype also results from impaired cholesterol efflux
by ATP‐binding cassette transporters. Although PDGF‐BB suppressed ATP‐binding cassette
transporters in vascular smooth muscle cells, the knockdown of Slug abolished PDGF‐BB–mediated
gene inhibition. In human carotid endarterectomy samples, Slug accumulated in smooth
muscle cells that surround the prothrombotic lipid core. Thus, inhibition of Slug
would be expected to lower plaque vulnerability.
Tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), such as imatinib, dasatinib, sunatinib, and sorafenib,
inhibit the activity of PDGF receptors and are part of treatment regimens for numerous
malignancies, including renal cell and hepatocellular carcinoma, gastrointestinal
stromal tumors, and chronic myeloid leukemia. The findings by Ledard provide a rationale
for testing TKIs with anti‐PDGF activity in models of atherosclerotic cardiovascular
diseases. However, a complex picture on the cardiovascular effects of TKIs is emerging.
In fact, increased rates of myocardial infarction, stroke, and peripheral arterial
disease have been reported with some second‐ and third‐generation TKIs.28 An early
study reported that nilotinib blocked endothelial cell proliferation and migration,
in contrast to findings of Slug inhibition, but also promoted the expression of proatherogenic
molecules, including intercellular adhesion molecule‐1 (CD54), vascular cell adhesion
molecule‐1 (CD106), and E‐selectin (CD62E).29 Recent data suggest that at least in
endothelial cells, different TKIs have divergent effects.30 Thus, a careful dissection
of the effects of specific TKIs in endothelial versus smooth muscle cells is needed
to fully appreciate their effects as promoters or potentially inhibitors of atherosclerotic
vascular disease.
The present cluster of articles demonstrates the breadth of cardio‐oncology. Each
article includes an extensive discussion of the gaps and opportunities in this new
discipline. As cardio‐oncology enters a new decade, there is a pressing need for further
in‐depth studies, ranging from the analysis of molecular mechanisms of novel therapies
to well‐designed prospective trials and healthcare delivery research. JAHA will continue
to offer a platform for this exciting and fast‐moving field.
Sources of Funding
Dr Grumbach receives grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (R01 HL
108932), the Department of Veterans Affair (I01 BX000163), and the American Heart
Association (18IPA34170003).
Disclosures
Dr Grumbach is a member of American Heart Association committees and of a scientific
statement writing group.