Clinical Risk Stratification and Immunophenotyping of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Associated Cardiomyopathy
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) have revolutionized cancer therapy by upregulating the patient’s own immune system to attack tumors, however they are associated with a host of rare but fatal cardiac side effects. Much research has been done investigating ICI induced cardiac inflammation, termed ICI myocarditis, but little is known about unexplained heart failure on ICI, known as ICI cardiomyopathy. Currently, diagnosis of ICI induced cardiotoxicity is difficult, often requiring invasive biopsies that present a physical and financial burden on patients. In particular, there are no clinical markers or standard diagnostic criteria for patients suffering from ICI cardiomyopathy. We aim to characterize the clinical and immunological phenotype of ICI cardiomyopathy to aid in detection and treatment. We conducted a retrospective chart review of 44 patients who developed systolic heart failure defined as a new reduction in left ventricular ejection function (LVEF) less than 55% after starting an ICI and analyzed risk factors for disease development. Lower age and shorter time to LVEF reduction were associated with adverse outcomes. Additionally, we conducted CyTOF analysis of patient peripheral blood samples (n=60) to identify immune cell populations upregulated in this cohort. Results showed the immune profile of IC cardiomyopathy patients did not significantly differ from other ICI cardiotoxicities (p>0.05). These results highlight the first steps towards defining the clinical characteristics and immune profile of ICI cardiomyopathy.
Source: Stanford Digital Repository
DOI: 10.25740/qm765qk4379
Authors: Branche, Corynn, Zhu, Han, Red-Horse, Kristy, Stanford University, Department of Biology
Language: English
Subfield: Oncology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W6945860416
FWCI:
Cites:
Cited by:
Related to: