Genetic Polymorphisms Affecting Cardiac Biomarker Concentrations in Children with Cancer: an Analysis from the “European Paediatric Oncology Off-patents Medicines Consortium” (EPOC) Trial

Background and Objectives: Doxorubicin plays an essential role in the treatment of paediatric cancers. Defining genotypes with a higher risk for developing anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity could help to reduce cardiotoxicity. Methods: Data originated from a phase II study assessing the pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin in 100 children. Studied patients (0–17 years) were treated for solid tumours or leukaemia. Two cycles of doxorubicin were studied. Concentrations of natriuretic peptides proANP, BNP and NT-proBNP and cardiac troponins T and I were measured at five time points before, during and after two cycles of doxorubicin treatment. Genotypes of 17 genetic polymorphisms in genes encoding for anthracycline metabolizing enzymes and drug transporters were determined for each patient. We analysed the influence of genotypes on cardiac biomarker concentrations at different time points by a Kruskal–Wallis test. To perform a pairwise comparison significant genetic polymorphisms with more than two genotypes were analysed by a post hoc test. Results: The Kruskal–Wallis tests and the post hoc-tests showed a significant association for seven genetic polymorphisms (ABCB1-rs1128503, ABCB1-rs1045642, ABCC1-rs4148350, CBR3-rs8133052, NQO2-in/del, SLC22A16-rs714368 and SLC22A16-rs6907567) with the concentration of at least one biomarker at one or more time points. We could not identify any polymorphism with a consistent effect on any biomarker over the whole treatment period. Conclusions: In this study of patients treated with doxorubicin for different tumour entities, seven genetic polymorphisms possibly influencing the pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of doxorubicin could lead occasionally to differences in the concentration of cardiac biomarkers. Since, the role of cardiac biomarkers for monitoring anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity has not yet been clarified, further trials with a long follow-up time are required to assess the impact of these genetic polymorphisms on chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity. Trial registration: EudraCT number: 2009-011454-17