Association Between Plasma Brain Natriuretic Peptide and Overall Survival in Patients With Advanced Cancer: Preliminary Findings

Abstract

ContextAtrial and brain natriuretic peptides (ANP and BNP) are established diagnostic and prognostic markers in heart failure, but their utility in patients with advanced cancer is unclear. ObjectivesOur objective was to examine the association between plasma natriuretic peptides and survival in patients with advanced cancer without clinical evidence of heart failure. MethodsThis exploratory analysis of a multicenter, randomized clinical trial of cancer patients receiving hospice care assessed the association between elevated plasma ANP, BNP, or Pro-BNP (cutoffs of >77, 100, and 900 pg/mL, respectively) and overall survival. Time-to-event analyses, including multivariate Cox regression, were conducted. ResultsAmong 97 patients, the mean age was 67.2 years and the overall survival was 16 days (95% CI, 13–23 days). ANP, BNP, and Pro-BNP were elevated in 29 of 36 (81%), nine of 23 (39%), and 32 of 38 (84%) patients, respectively. Elevated ANP, BNP, or Pro-BNP was associated with worse survival (median 14 vs. 21 days; P = 0.02). BNP or Pro-BNP was inversely associated with overall survival (hazard ratio = 2.27; 95% CI, 1.29–3.97) in univariate Cox regression analysis, and remained significant in multivariate Cox regression analysis (hazard ratio = 3.09; 95% CI, 1.40–6.84) after adjusting for treatment group and known prognostic variables such as performance status, albumin, creatinine, delirium, dyspnea, and anorexia. Elevated ANP alone was not significantly associated with survival (P = 0.17). ConclusionOur preliminary findings suggest that BNP or Pro-BNP may be a novel objective prognostic marker in cancer patients without heart failure. Further research is needed to confirm these findings.