Cardiotoxicity and Other Late Effects After Radiotherapy and Immuno-chemoTherapy in Non-Hodgkin lYmphoma

Rationale: Few studies have thus far addressed the burden from treatment-related cardiovascular disease in long-term survivors of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL). The life expectancy of patients with aggressive B-cell NHL has significantly increased since treatment regimens have improved. Although the addition of rituximab to CHOP chemotherapy does not appear to increase cardiotoxicity during treatment, little is known about the long-term cardiac safety of R-CHOP. Nonetheless, cardiotoxicity due to doxorubicin exposure appears to be a key problem in clinical practice, while radiation exposure of the heart may add to cardiac disease risk.

Objective: The main objective is to assess in detail risk factors for cardiovascular disease and cardiotoxicity and to compare heart function parameters, vascular parameters and biomarkers associated with cardiovascular function among five- tot fifteen-year survivors, treated for aggressive B-cell NHL, and sibling controls and to assess the effects of cumulative doses of individual immuno- and chemotherapeutic agents and radiation of the heart on cardiovascular function parameters. Secondary objectives are to assess the prevalence of other late effects (metabolic syndrome, quality of life and the predictive value of newly developed markers for cardiovascular disease).

Study design: These parameters will be assessed in a cross-sectional study, nested in a well characterized cohort of aggressive B-cell NHL survivors, with a control population consisting of siblings of these survivors.

Study population: 350 survivors will be invited who are between five and fifteen years after treatment with (R-)CHOP with/without mediastinal radiotherapy, and compare them with 175 sibling controls. Eligible participants will be approached and invited to the BETER clinic by their (former) treating physician.

Main study parameters/endpoints: The main study parameters will be echocardiographic systolic and diastolic heart parameters and global longitudinal strain measurement, arterial stiffness (by pulse wave velocity measurements), endothelial function (by peripheral arterial tonometry), electrocardiography, advanced glycation end products (by skin autofluorescence, AGE-reader), presence of (sub)clinical cardiovascular disease and biomarkers. Adverse cardiovascular events, risk factors and quality of life will be assessed through questionnaires and physical measurements. Exposure to (R-)CHOP and radiotherapy will be extracted from the medical history. Multivariable logistic and linear regression analyses will be used for analyses.