A January 2024 study by St Jude Children’s Research Hospital said,
“This may be a much more sensitive way to identify childhood cancer survivors that might benefit from intervention at an earlier stage,”
“We were somewhat surprised by the magnitude of risk for declining heart function over such a relatively short period in individuals with abnormal GLS and NT-proBNP, suggesting a need for early and effective interventions that we hope will prevent progression to heart failure over time.”
“This means doing more for patients at greatest risk while avoiding unnecessary tests for patients who will not benefit from them,”
“A survivor with a normal ejection fraction at baseline with abnormal ranges of both biomarkers was at a fourfold increased risk for a worsening ejection fraction in the next five years,”
“One of the promising aspects of our findings is that both of these measures are readily available and, therefore, have the potential to impact care more immediately. Most cardiologists are already using GLS … and NT-proBNP has been around for a long time.”
“The exciting part of this study is that it potentially helps to identify a population that we would have otherwise looked at and said, ‘You’re at risk for abnormal heart function, but everything looks good today. We’ll reevaluate your heart in two to five years,’”
“Whereas now we have reason to believe those with abnormal biomarkers are a particularly high-risk group that may benefit from closer follow-up or more proactive interventions to reduce risk. The findings set the stage for future studies evaluating novel screening and early intervention strategies that we hope will ultimately improve survivors’ cardiac health and well-being.”