Clinical Research Directory

3D Versus 2D Strain Echocardiography for Early Detection of Cardiotoxicity During Cancer Therapy

Some cancer treatments, such as anthracycline chemotherapy and HER2-targeted therapy, can damage the heart (cardiotoxicity). If heart damage is detected early, heart-protective treatment can be started and cancer treatment can often continue without interruption. Heart ultrasound (echocardiography) is the standard method for monitoring the heart during cancer treatment. Today, heart function is mainly assessed with two-dimensional (2D) measurements, which may miss early changes. A newer technique, three-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiography (3D strain), follows the heart muscle's movement in all directions and may detect damage earlier and more accurately. The SAFE HEART study will investigate whether 3D strain detects early heart damage better than 2D strain and conventional measures of pumping function (ejection fraction) in adults with breast cancer, lymphoma or sarcoma who are treated with anthracyclines and/or HER2-targeted therapy at Skåne University Hospital in Lund and Malmö, Sweden. Participants undergo heart ultrasound, ECG and blood tests for cardiac biomarkers (troponin I and NT-proBNP) before, during and after cancer treatment. Blood samples are also stored in a biobank to search for new markers that can predict heart damage. Participants who develop signs of heart damage, and a matched group without heart damage, may be asked to undergo a cardiac magnetic resonance (MRI) scan.