Fluorouracil induces myocardial ischemia with increases of plasma brain natriuretic peptide and lactic acid but without dysfunction of left ventricle

What Was Tested

The paper reports a study of BNP (Nesiritide), published as a clinical trial.

Fluorouracil (FU) is a cornerstone of colorectal cancer treatment; however, it has clinical and subclinical influence on the heart.

This study aimed to clarify the pathophysiology, risk factors, and long-term effects of FU cardiotoxicity.

Who Took Part

PubMed indexes the participants as adults, middle-aged adults, older adults and people over 80, both men and women.

The study prospectively accrued colorectal cancer patients (n=106) completely resected and adjuvantly treated with FU and oxaliplatin according to the FOLFOX4 regimen (infusional FU, folinic acid, and oxaliplatin).

Serial measurements were made of systolic and diastolic features of the left ventricle by radionuclide ventriculography, plasma levels of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP), lactic acid, and ECG before chemotherapy, immediately after a treatment infusion, and at follow-up 2 weeks after cessation of the intended 12 treatment courses and were further evaluated by multivariate regression analysis that included cardiovascular history and its risk factors.

What Was Measured

The subject headings attached to it are Antimetabolites, Antineoplastic, Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols, Biomarkers, Colorectal Neoplasms, Fluorouracil, Lactic Acid and Leucovorin.

What This Means in Plain Language

This is a clinical trial of BNP (Nesiritide).

The abstract goes on to report its results in about 7 sentences; this page does not restate them, so read the paper for the findings and their limits.

The publication is from 2010 (Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology), a journal based in United States.

More context: the BNP (Nesiritide) compound page, all human trials.