Serum HER2 levels are increased in patients with chronic heart failure.
BACKGROUND
The use of trastuzumab, an antibody against the human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2), in patients with HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer, is related to cardiotoxicity.


OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether serum HER2 is increased in heart failure patients and related to disease severity.


METHODS
Serum HER2, plasma tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and its soluble (s) receptors (sTNF-R1 and 2) were determined with ELISA in chronic heart failure patients and age and gender-matched healthy controls.


RESULTS
Serum HER2 was higher (P=0.013) in 50 heart failure patients (18 female; median age 57 (range 33-77) years), mean 12.1+/-S.D. 2.3 ng/mL, than in 15 controls, 10.4+/-2.6 ng/mL. Serum HER2 levels correlated inversely with left ventricular ejection fraction (P=0.037) and were highest among NYHA class III patients, followed by NYHA class II patients and controls (P=0.029, Kruskal-Wallis test). STNF-R1 (P<.001) and sTNF-R2 (P=0.015) were higher in patients than controls, and correlated positively with HER2 (P=0.027 and P=0.036, respectively).


CONCLUSIONS
Serum HER2 levels are increased in chronic heart failure patients. Further research is necessary to determine whether HER2 plays a role in the pathophysiology of heart failure.
Perik
Patrick J
PJ
Department of Cardiology, Thorax Center, University of Groningen and University Medical Center Groningen. P.O. Box 30001, 9700 RB Groningen, The Netherlands.
de Vries
Elisabeth G E
EG
Gietema
Jourik A
JA
van der Graaf
Winette T A
WT
Smilde
Tom D J
TD
Sleijfer
Dirk T
DT
van Veldhuisen
Dirk J
DJ
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D004797:Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay; D005260:Female; D018734:Genes, erbB-2 / Q000502:physiology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D018434:Sickness Impact Profile; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000097:blood
D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha