Baseline Cardiac Biomarker Levels as Predictors of Cancer Risk in the MESA Cohort.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Oncology
• Epidemiology

Background:

• Understanding the interplay between cardiovascular disease and cancer is crucial.
• Cardiac biomarkers may offer insights into cancer development.
• Previous research has not fully elucidated this association.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the link between baseline cardiac biomarker levels and subsequent cancer risk.
• To analyze high-sensitivity cardiac troponin T (hs-cTnT) and N-terminal pro-B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) in relation to cancer incidence.
• To examine these associations within the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis (MESA) cohort.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of 6,244 MESA participants without baseline cancer or cardiovascular disease.
• Incident cancer identification via ICD-9 codes from hospitalizations.
• Cox proportional hazards models to assess hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP associations with cancer risk.

Main Results:

• Over 17.8 years, 820 incident cancer events occurred.
• Higher hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP levels correlated with increased cancer incidence, particularly in the highest quartiles.
• Statistically significant hazard ratios for hs-cTnT (1.18) and NT-proBNP (2.41) for all-cancer endpoints were observed.

Conclusions:

• Elevated baseline hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP levels predict a higher risk of developing cancer.
• The observed associations were independent of sex and race/ethnicity.
• These findings highlight a potential biomarker link between cardiac health and cancer risk.