Clinical Significance of Ischemia-Modified Albumin in the Diagnosis of Doxorubicin-Induced Myocardial Injury in Breast Cancer Patients

BACKGROUND: Ischemia-modified albumin is an altered serum albumin that forms under conditions of oxidative stress, a state also associated with doxorubicin-induced myocardial injury. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to better assess diagnostic and prognostic significance of ischemia-modified albumin in patients with breast cancer undergoing doxorubicin chemotherapy. METHODS: Blood samples were collected from 152 breast cancer patients before and after each cycle of doxorubicin chemotherapy to measure the serum levels of ischemia-modified albumin, cardiac troponin T and creatine kinase-MB. We also monitored cardiac function during a 12 month follow-up. RESULTS: There was a significant difference in ischemia-modified albumin levels before and after each cycle of chemotherapy and the ischemia-modified albumin concentration positively correlated with the cumulative dose of doxorubicin (r = 0.212, P < 0.05). The combination of ischemia-modified albumin with cardiac troponin T and creatine kinase-MB increased the sensitivity to 0.920 and the specificity to 0.830 in the diagnosis of doxorubicin-induced myocardial injury. The optimal cutoff for ischemia-modified albumin concentration was 112.09 U/ml. The rate of change for ischemia-modified albumin levels correlated negatively with the rate of change for left ventricular ejection fraction at one year (r = –0.221, P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Ischemia-modified albumin may be a clinically potential new marker for diagnosing doxorubicin-induced myocardial injury, and is helpful to predict long-term impairment of cardiac function.