Pharmacologic measures in the prevention of left ventricular dysfunction associated with molecular-targeted therapies in the treatment of cancer patients

INTRODUCTION: Left ventricular dysfunction (LVD) is an infrequent but significant side effect of certain molecular-targeted cancer therapies and may lead to treatment modification and impact on disease prognosis. There may be a role for beta blockers (BB), angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) and angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB) in the prevention of LVD. Areas covered: There are multiple definitions for LVD based on clinical and/or imaging features. Molecular-targeted therapies cause reversible LVD. Therapies with well-reported LVD are inhibitors of human epidermal growth factor 2 (HER2), angiogenesis, Abelson murine leukemia viral oncogene homolog (ABL) and the proteasome. BB, ACEI and ARB seem to have a role in the prevention of LVD associated with anthracyclines. Few trials have investigated the role of BB, ACEI and ARB as primary prevention of LVD in molecular-targeted therapies. Their results are not conclusive but a beneficial role cannot be excluded. Expert opinion: Because of inconclusive data, future interventional studies should not include all treated patients with molecular-targeted therapy, but focus on patients at risk for developing LVD. Another option is to study patients who show early signs of LVD to prevent progression to overt heart failure.