Troponins and natriuretic peptides for the prediction of anthracycline and/or trastuzumab-induced cardiotoxicity in cancer patients

In recent decades, advances in oncology have remarkably improved cancer-related mortality rates. However, this has increased the spectrum of long-term sequelae from anti-cancer treatments including cardiovascular dysfunction. Cardiotoxicity has emerged as a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among cancer patients, specifically due to left ventricular dysfunction. The early detection of patients who are at increased risk of developing cancer therapy–related cardiovascular disease is required to establish appropriate preventive and therapeutic strategies. Cardio-specific biomarkers could predict cardiotoxicity during antineoplastic treatment. Troponins and natriuretic peptides are the preferred biomarkers for management of cardiovascular function in patients exposed to potential cardiotoxic anti-cancer drugs, particularly in individuals treated with anthracyclines and anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER-2) monoclonal antibodies. Further examinations are needed to evaluate novel surveillance clinical pathways integrating troponins (troponin I/T) and natriuretic peptides (NT-proBNP/BNP) for cancer patients receiving associated anthracycline and/or trastuzumab chemotherapy.