Early detection of late anthracycline induced cardiotoxicity in survivors of childhood malignancy

Current surveillance detects dysfunction only at relatively advanced stages, and improved circulating biomarkers are needed for earlier identification.This study assessed cardiovascular health and biomarker profiles in adult survivors of childhood cancer previously exposed to anthracyclines. A comprehensive clinical and imaging evaluation was performed, and an exploratory discovery phase using proteomic and microRNA analyses identified potential circulating candidates for further investigation.Survivors demonstrated a substantial burden of cardiovascular risk factors and high rates of subclinical cardiac dysfunction.

Established biomarkers had limited discriminative value, while several emerging candidates showed meaningful associations with imaging measures of cardiac function.These findings highlight the potential role of novel circulating biomarkers in improving early detection of late anthracycline cardiotoxicity and support the need for prospective validation.<br><br>Thesis is embargoed until 31 December 2030.