Circulating apoptotic proteins are increased in long-term disease-free breast cancer survivors

Circulating apoptotic proteins are increased in patients with heart failure. We evaluated whether circulating soluble (s) apoptosis-related proteins and inflammation markers are increased in long-term disease free breast cancer survivors and associated with cardiotoxicity, and if subgroups could be identified based on the applied treatments. Circulating tumour necrosis factor (TNF) α, sTNF-receptor (sTNF-R) 1 and 2, sFas, sFas ligand, sTNF-related apoptosis inducing ligand (sTRAIL) and serum HER2 were measured with immunoassay. High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (HS-CRP), fibrinogen, plasma B-type and N-terminal atrial natriuretic peptide (NT-ANP and BNP) were also determined. Thirty-four patients with median 6.0 years follow-up and 12 healthy age-matched women were enrolled. Chemotherapy, consisting of five cycles fluorouracil, epirubicin (90 mg/m2), cyclophosphamide (FEC) (n = 14) or four cycles FEC followed by myeloablation with high-dose carboplatin, cyclophosphamide, thiotepa (n = 20), preceded irradiation and tamoxifen. Circulating apoptosis markers were higher in patients than in controls. No associations with cardiac dysfunction were observed. sFas ligand and sTRAIL were higher in the high-dose than in the standard-dose group. In conclusion, we observed increased circulating apoptotic protein levels in long-term disease-free breast cancer survivors, treated with adjuvant chemoradiotherapy, particularly after myeloablative chemotherapy. The potential relation with late cardiotoxicity of antineoplastic therapy deserves further study.