Risk factors for developing cardiac toxicities in cancer patients treated with panitumumab combination therapy

Aim: To evaluate the incidence and risk of cardiac toxicities associated with panitumumab in advanced cancer of Caucasian patients. Materials & methods: The incidence of cardiac toxicity was assessed by simple incidence rates and rates per 100 person-years. Univariate and multivariate Cox regression was conducted. Results: Panitumumab-containing therapy significantly increased the risk of developing cardiac arrhythmias (p = 0.036), but not for any cardiac event (p = 0.24) or ischemic event (p = 0.087). The absolute rate of developing cardiac arrhythmia was 10.0 events versus 7.5 events per 100 person-years. Pre-existing hypertension (p = 0.033), history of cardiac disease (p = 0.055) or panitumumab usage (p = 0.046) were risk factors for cardiac arrhythmias. Conclusion: The addition of panitumumab to chemotherapy increases the risk of developing cardiac arrhythmia, but not for any cardiac toxicity or ischemic events.