Early decline in left ventricular ejection fraction predicts doxorubicin cardiotoxicity in lymphoma patients

Thirty adult patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma were studied to evaluate prospectively the significance of early decline in left ventricular ejection fraction after low cumulative doxorubicin dose (200 mg m−2) in predicting the later impairment of left ventricular function. Cardiac function was monitored with radionuclide ventriculography at baseline and after cumulative doxorubicin doses of 200, 400 and 500 mg m−2. Cardiotoxicity was defined as a decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction of more than 10% units to a final left ventricular ejection fraction ⩽50%. Twenty-eight patients received doxorubicin ⩾400 mg m−2 and were evaluable for cardiotoxicity. Clinical heart failure developed in two patients (7%) after a cumulative doxorubicin dose of 500 mg m−2. Left ventricular ejection fraction decreased more than 10% absolute ejection fraction units to a final left ventricular ejection fraction ⩽50% in 10 patients (36%). Left ventricular ejection fraction decreased from 56±1.5% to 53.6±1.5% (P=0.016) in patients with no cardiotoxicity, and from 60.8±2.4% to 41.8±2.0% (P<0.001) in patients with cardiotoxicity. For patients who developed cardiotoxicity, the fall in left ventricular ejection fraction after a cumulative doxorubicin dose of only 200 mg m−2 was highly significant (left ventricular ejection fraction 49.7±1.8%, P=0.001 vs baseline). In receiver operator characteristic analysis, the area under the curve for the decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction at a cumulative doxorubicin dose of 200 mg m−2 for predicting cardiotoxicity in all patients was 0.858. The decrease in left ventricular ejection fraction of more than 4% units after a cumulative doxorubicin dose of 200 mg m−2 had a 90% sensitivity and 72% specificity for predicting later cardiotoxicity. Our results show that the significant impairment of left ventricular function during doxorubicin therapy can be predicted early, already at low cumulative doxorubicin doses. This finding may be of value in identifying patients at high or low risk for the development of anthracycline cardiotoxicity.