Acute coronary syndrome in patients with cancer: features of the course and the possibility of predicting hospital and long-term (6 months) periods using GDF-15, NT-proBNP, hs-CRP biomarkers

Aim To evaluate clinical features of the course of acute coronary syndrome (ACS) in patients with oncological diseases (OD) and to determine the role of biomarkers GDF-15, NT-proBNP, and hs-CRP in short-term and long-term prognoses.Material and methods In 88 patients (34 patients with ACS and OD and 54 patients with ACS without OD), complaints and historical, objective, and laboratory and instrumental data were evaluated and blood concentrations of GDF-15, NT-proBNP, and hs-CRP biomarkers were measured on the first day of hospitalization. Incidence of cardiovascular complications (CVC) and outcomes of hospital and long-term (6 months) periods were analyzed. Statistical analysis of results was performed with the Statistica 12.0, MedCalc 19.1.7 software. The level of statistical significance was р<0.05.Results In the ACS+OD group as compared to the ACS without OD group, the onset of disease was mostly atypical, with shortness of breath and/or general weakness; the ACS+OD patients more frequently had III-IV Killip class acute heart failure (29 and 7 %, р=0.01); mean hemoglobin concentration (125.6±27.9 and 141±16.6 g/l, р=0.003), prothrombin index (76.4±15.2 and 84.9±17.6 %, р=0.003), and left ventricular ejection fraction (47.7±6.1 and 50.7±7.2 %, р=0.02) were lower; and median concentrations of GDF-15 (1.95 [1.3; 2.8] and 1.45 [1.2; 2.0] ng/ml, р=0.03), NT-proBNP (947.3 [517.8; 1598.2], and 491.1 [85.1; 1069.1] pg/ml, р=0.006), and hs-CRP (14.1 [8.15; 36.75] and 7.8 [4.4; 16.2] mg/l, р=0.01) were higher. The presence of OD was associated with development of CVC, including urgent endpoints in the long-term and also increased the probability of fatal outcome within 6 months after discharge from the hospital. To predict the risk of CVC in patients with ACS and OD, two models with high prognostic values (AUC>0.9) were proposed. In the long-term, the value of NT-proBNP (cut-off point >524.5 pg/ml) was a statistically significant predictor for development of endpoints with a high predictive value (AUC>0.8).Conclusion The features of the clinical course of ACS in patients with OD indicate the importance of isolating such patients into a separate group. Additional use of the developed models, along with a standard risk assessment by the GRACE scale, will allow individualized management of patients with ACS and OD during the hospital and long-term (6 months) periods.