Executive Summary

Prophylactic use of ACE inhibitors may prevent cardiotoxicity caused by high-dose chemotherapy, according to a study published in Circulation. The study randomized 114 chemotherapy patients whose troponin I levels rose following chemotherapy to ACE inhibitor or observation arms. The ACE inhibitor group exhibited no study-defined cardiotoxicity (10% units decline in heart pumping efficiency) compared to 43% of patients in the control group. Only enalapril was evaluated, but "I believe that an ACE inhibitor class effect, rather than a specific enalapril effect, is responsible for our study results," study lead author Daniela Cardinale (European Institute of Oncology) said...