City of Hope and Children's Oncology Group researchers conducted the largest clinical trial to date to investigate the prevention of childhood cancer survivors from developing heart failure.
The study, published Jan. 9 in The Lancet Oncology, included 30 hospitals in the U.S. and Canada and about 182 patients. Patients were either given placebo or carvedilol, a blood vessel relaxing medication, for two years.
There were no significant differences in side effects from carvedilol and placebo.The trial did not demonstrate the goal of showing decreases in the thinning of the heart muscle and enlargements of its chambers, two side effects of a class of chemotherapy drug that can result in eventual heart failure among long-term cancer survivors. There was significant improvement, however, in heart left ventricular end-systolic wall stress, according to a Jan. 9 City of Hope press release.
"This study is an important first step toward developing future studies that will seek to optimize the long-term well-being and health of survivors who are expected to live for decades after their initial cancer diagnosis," the press release said.