Risk of Cardiovascular Toxicity Raised by Cancer Drug

FDA approved drug in 2012 to treat a type of cancer called Multiple myeloma has dangerous side effects for heart. The drug is called Carfilzomib, and it is a multi subunit enzyme complex inhibitor called proteasome now linked to an increased risk of Heart diseases.

High blood pressure, heart failure, heart attack, stroke, and arrhythmias are common examples of adverse cardiac events.

Multiple myeloma is a cancer of plasma cells. As part of the immune system, antibodies are made by plasma cells during an infection to fight pathogens. Chemotherapy and radiation are common treatments for this type of cancer as well as, in recent years, proteasome inhibitors like carfilzomib, one of three FDA-approved proteasome inhibitor drugs.

Cancers like MM rely on proteins to survive. Proteasome inhibitor drugs target and destroy proteins within a cell. However, healthy cells need proteins too for their growth  and survival.

The new study analyzed data from 24 other studies from the past decade, including 2,594 MM patients in total. Researchers compared the effects on each patient’s heart between carfilzomib and a similar drug, bortezomib. Patients taking bortezomib were much less likely to experience ACEs, severe or mild. But 18 percent of MM patients who were prescribed carfilzomib experienced ACEs, and eight percent of MM patients experienced severe ACEs.

The most common ACE experienced by patients taking carfilzomib was simultaneously affected by hypertension, followed by heart failure, arrhythmias, and other dangerous health diseases. Higher doses of carfilzomib were associated with higher rates of ACEs.

Future studies will be done in attempt to demonstrate the specific explanation behind the relationship between carfilzomib and risk of ACEs. Especially considering that MM and heart disease.

Join Us at 28th International Conference on Cardiology and Healthcare in Abu Dhabi, UAE for more recent updates in cardiology research.

For details contact:
Aurora Lorenz
Program Manager-Cardiology Care 2018
Mail:cardiology@healthconference.org; healthcare@cardiologyconference.org
Website: https://healthcare.cardiologymeeting.com/