Dr. Smita Bhatia on Anthracycline-Related CHF

Smita Bhatia, MD, MPH, Population Sciences, City of Hope, Duarte, California, explains a clinical trial analyzing genetic susceptibility to anthracycline-related congestive heart failure (CHF) in survivors of hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT).

According to previous data, HCT survivors have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease. The risk of post-HCT CHF can be attributed to pre-HCT exposure to anthracyclines.

In the trial, patients with post-HCT CHF were matched with a cohort that did not develop post-HCT CHF with regards to age at transplantation, type of transplant (autologous or allogeneic), and exposure to anthracycline. The study analyzed 77 patients with CHF and 178 patients in the control cohort who had not developed CHF.

The study found that the risk of anthracycline cardiotoxicity is modified by genes that affect free radical generation, dysregulation of iron homeostasis, and intracellular accumulation of cardiotoxic anthracyclines.