Exploratory study linking plasma proteomics to cardiotoxicity in Hodgkin lymphoma

Background Cardiovascular toxicity is a well-known complication of chemotherapy, especially doxorubicin (DXR), and irradiation of the mediastinum for classical Hodgkin lymphoma (cHL). Due to the excellent prognosis in cHL, the mortality rate in late toxicity historically exceeds that of relapse of lymphoma. This highlights the need for strategies to minimize toxicity.Our aim was to characterize the prevalence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) in our cohort of cHL patients treated with DXR with or without radiotherapy according to standard practice and to identify any plasma protein associations with preexisting or emerging CVD posttreatment. Methods We analyzed 182 different proteins in plasma samples from 56 cHL patients and 60 controls using Olink multiplex protein panels Oncology II and Cardiovascular III. The analysis was supplemented with separate analyses of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NTpro-BNP), troponin I and C-reactive protein (CRP). The patient samples were prospectively collected prior to, during and after treatment. Results Our analysis revealed a statistically significant association between the compound endpoint of heart failure and ischemic heart disease and the protein biomarkers cysteine rich protein 61 (CYR61), glycoprotein nonmetastatic melanoma protein B (GPNMB) and activated leukocyte cell adhesion molecule (ALCAM) in samples collected after treatment for cHL. Conclusions This exploratory study identified three new biomarkers reflecting different biological processes associated with CVD in patients treated for cHL. Adding biomarkers to risk prediction in this population has the potential to identify patients with a high risk of cardiovascular events who need focused follow-up.