Evaluation of low level cTnI in anthracycline cardiotoxicity

  • Research type

    Research Study

  • Full title

    Evaluation of low level cardiac troponin I as an early diagnostic biomarker of subclinical drug-induced cardiac toxicity in lymphoma and breast cancer patients undergoing anthracycline-based chemotherapy

  • IRAS ID

    224368

  • Contact name

    Kim Linton

  • Contact email

    kim.linton@manchester.ac.uk

  • Sponsor organisation

    University of Manchester

  • Clinicaltrials.gov Identifier

    11/NW/0274, Previous REC reference number; 58891, Previous IRAS number

  • Duration of Study in the UK

    0 years, 6 months, 7 days

  • Research summary

    The aim of the original project 'Circulating and Imaging Biomarkers of Chemotherapy induced Cardiotoxicity in Cancer Patients' run at the Christie NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University (Cancer Research UK, Manchester Institute) was to evaluate an exploratory panel of blood borne and imaging biomarkers as predictors or reporters of early heart damage occurring as a result of cancer treatment. Anthracycline chemotherapy is a highly effective cancer treatment, but is well known to increase the risk of heart damage. In most cases current tests do not detect heart damage until patients present with symptomatic heart failure, usually years after receiving anthracyclines. Late heart toxicity is an important cause of excess mortality in cancer survivors and research into ways of preventing, detecting or mitigating drug induced heart damage is urgently needed.

    The original study evaluated cancer patients (predominantly but not exclusively lymphoma patients) receiving anthracycline chemotherapy as part of standard care. Blood samples were taken before, during and after treatment to explore circulating biomarkers for their potential to report heart damage at an earlier, preventable stage. Heart magnetic resonance imaging was performed to assess the effects of treatment on the heart and to identify possible imaging biomarkers of heart damage.

    Results of this study were presented as a PhD thesis which showed that Troponin I was an informative circulating biomarker that correlated with decline in cardiac function but rose too late (at the end of treatment) to intervene with cardio-protective strategies.

    This project will evaluate a novel platform for detection of Troponin I that uses single molecule counting technology(SMC™) to measure Troponin I at previously undetectable levels with the aim of detecting changes earlier, before clinically significant damage is done.

  • REC name

    East Midlands - Leicester South Research Ethics Committee

  • REC reference

    17/EM/0341

  • Date of REC Opinion

    22 Aug 2017

  • REC opinion

    Favourable Opinion