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(1) Background: The aim of our study was to determine whether monitoring cardiac function through RNV and cardiac biomarkers could predict the cardiac impact of combined therapy with trastuzumab, pertuzumab and docetaxel, which are regularly used nowadays to treat HER2-positive breast cancer. (2) Methods: This prospective monocentric study included 22 patients, diagnosed with HER2-positive breast cancer, who had their LVEFs and cardiac biomarkers evaluated both at the beginning of their treatment and after 6 months. Among all of the enrolled patients, two blood specimens were collected to assess circulating cardiac biomarkers. RNV was performed in each patient after “in vivo” radiolabeling of the erythrocytes. The obtained results were then statistically correlated. (3) Results: The average LVEF decrease between the two time points was approximately 4%. Of the five biomarkers we considered in this paper, only NT-proBNP correlated with the LVEF values obtained both in the baseline study and after 6 months of follow-up (r = −0.615 for T0 and r = −0.751 for T1, respectively). ST2/IL-33R proved statistically significant at the T1 time point (r = −0.547). (4) Conclusions: A combination of LVEF, NT-proBNP and ST2/IL-33R assessment may be useful for early detection of cardiac impairment in breast cancer patients treated with trastuzumab, pertuzumab and docetaxel. Full article

Oxygen pulse (O₂P) is a function of stroke volume and cellular oxygen extraction and O₂P curve pattern (O₂PCP) can provide continuous measurements of O₂P. However, measurements of these two components are difficult during incremental maximum exercise. As cardiac function is evaluated using ejection fraction (EF) according to the guidelines and EF can be obtained using first-pass radionuclide ventriculography, the aim of this study was to investigate associations of O₂P%predicted and O₂PCP with EF in patients with heart failure with reduced or mildly reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF/HFmrEF) and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and also in normal controls. This was a prospective observational cross-sectional study. Correlations of resting left ventricular EF, dynamic right and left ventricular EFs and outcomes with O₂P% and O₂PCP across the three participant groups were analyzed. A total of 237 male subjects were screened and 90 were enrolled (27 with HFrEF/HFmrEF, 30 with COPD and 33 normal controls). O₂P% and the proportions of the three types of O₂PCP were similar across the three groups. O₂P% reflected dynamic right and left ventricular EFs in the control and HFrEF/HFmrEF groups, but did not reflect resting left ventricular EF in all participants. O₂PCP did not reflect resting or dynamic ventricular EFs in any of the subjects. A decrease in O₂PCP was significantly related to nonfatal cardiac events in the HFrEF/HFmrEF group (log rank test, p = 0.01), whereas O₂P% and O₂PCP did not predict severe acute exacerbations of COPD. The findings of this study may clarify the utility of O₂P and O₂PCP, and may contribute to the currently used interpretation algorithm and the strategy for managing patients, especially those with HFrEF/HFmrEF. (Trial registration number NCT05189301.) Full article