Abstract Body (Do not enter title and authors here): Introduction: Cancer therapy-induced cardiotoxicity (CTRCD) is one of the most significant adverse effects of oncologic treatment, responsible for considerable morbidity and mortality. Heart failure stands out due to its higher frequency and severity with the focus of most studies being left ventricular dysfunction and remodeling. The right ventricle (RV) may also be damaged by CTRCD, however the effects on RV function have not been elucidated.
Research question: What are the echocardiographic changes in RV due chemotherapy treatment?
Objective: To conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis evaluating the RV echocardiographic parameters in patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment.
Methods: Pubmed, Embase and Cochrane were systematically searched for studies that assessed RV echocardiographic changes in patients due to chemotherapy treatment. Statistical analysis was performed using the R statistical environment, with a summary estimate using Mean Differences (MD), adopting a random-effects model to account for variability among studies and a two-tailed significance level of 5%. A correlation coefficient of 0.5 was assumed for the paired measurements. Heterogeneity was assessed using the I2 statistic.
Results: We included 641 patients from 11 studies, 75.5% of whom were women and with a mean age of 50.2±6.1 years. RV function was significantly lower after cancer treatment, with reduction in the fractional area change (MD -3.53%; CI -5.25, -1.41; p<0.0011 - Figure 1A), RV global longitudinal strain (MD 2.27%; CI 1.24, 3.29; p<0.0011 - Figure 1B) and in RV free wall strain (MD 3.22%; CI 1.76, 4.67; p<0.0001 - figure 1C). Additionally, the pulmonary artery systolic pressure was significantly higher (MD 1.36mmHg; CI 0.32, 2.4; p=0.01 - Figure 1D) and the tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion was significantly reduced (MD -1.98mm; CI -3.27, -0.68; p=0.0027 - Figure 1E) after chemotherapy.
Conclusion: RV dysfunction is common in CTRCD and its echocardiographic quantification should be included in clinical practice follow-up during cancer treatment. Further research is needed to elucidate the underlying factors contributing to RV dysfunction in CTRCD and to develop methods for its early detection.