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Serum HER2 levels are increased in patients with chronic heart failure
Author(s) -
Perik Patrick J.,
Vries Elisabeth G.E.,
Gietema Jourik A.,
Graaf Winette T.A.,
Smilde Tom D.J.,
Sleijfer Dirk T.,
Veldhuisen Dirk J.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
european journal of heart failure
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 5.149
H-Index - 133
eISSN - 1879-0844
pISSN - 1388-9842
DOI - 10.1016/j.ejheart.2006.05.010
Subject(s) - medicine , heart failure , ejection fraction , cardiotoxicity , trastuzumab , pathophysiology , cardiology , breast cancer , tumor necrosis factor alpha , gastroenterology , cancer , endocrinology , chemotherapy
Background The use of trastuzumab, an antibody against the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), in patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer, is related to cardiotoxicity. Aims To investigate whether serum HER2 is increased in heart failure patients and related to disease severity. Methods Serum HER2, plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)‐α and its soluble (s) receptors (sTNF‐R1 and 2) were determined with ELISA in chronic heart failure patients and age and gender‐matched healthy controls. Results Serum HER2 was higher ( P =0.013) in 50 heart failure patients (18 female; median age 57 (range 33–77) years), mean 12.1±S.D. 2.3 ng/mL, than in 15 controls, 10.4±2.6 ng/mL. Serum HER2 levels correlated inversely with left ventricular ejection fraction ( P =0.037) and were highest among NYHA class III patients, followed by NYHA class II patients and controls ( P =0.029, Kruskal–Wallis test). STNF‐R1 ( P <.001) and sTNF‐R2 ( P =0.015) were higher in patients than controls, and correlated positively with HER2 ( P =0.027 and P =0.036, respectively). Conclusions Serum HER2 levels are increased in chronic heart failure patients. Further research is necessary to determine whether HER2 plays a role in the pathophysiology of heart failure.