Sex differences in anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity: the benefits of estrogens
Anthracyclines are the cornerstone for many oncologic treatments, but their cardiotoxicity has been recognized for several decades. Female subjects, especially before puberty and adolescence, or after menopause, seem to be more at increased risk, with the prognostic impact of this sex issue being less consistent compared to other cardiovascular risk factors. Several studies imply that sex differences could depend on the lack of the protective effect of sex hormones against the anthracycline-initiated damage in cardiac cells, or on differential mitochondria-related oxidative gene expression. This is also reflected by the results obtained with different diagnostic methods, such as cardiovascu…
Evaluation of left ventricular mass on cadmium-zinc-telluride imaging: Validation against cardiac magnetic resonance
Background. Single-photon emission computed tomography has shown relevant limitations in the quantification of left ventricular (LV) mass. We sought to compare the estimates of LV mass on Cadmium-Zinc-Telluride (CZT) myocardial perfusion imaging (MPI) as compared to cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR). Methods and results. Twenty-five patients underwent MPI on a CZT camera and CMR on a 1.5 T scanner within 12 ± 3 weeks. LV mass was quantified on CZT images using two softwares: 4D-MSPECT (4DM) and Emory Cardiac Toolbox (ECTb). LV mass by CMR was quantified using MASS software (Medis, Leiden, The Netherlands). LV mass values obtained with 4DM and ECTb were highly reproducible [intraclass correla…