title: Temporal change in brain natriuretic Peptide after radiotherapy for thoracic esophageal cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the relationships of plasma levels of brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) with abnormal (18)F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) accumulation in the myocardium corresponding to irradiated fields and temporal changes in BNP, which is used as an index of heart remodeling, after radiotherapy for the mediastinum.
  
  
  METHODS
  Brain natriuretic peptide concentrations were measured before and after radiotherapy for thoracic esophageal cancer, and the change in BNP concentration after radiotherapy was investigated. Moreover, FDG accumulation in the myocardium was investigated in patients who had undergone FDG positron emission tomography less than 14 days before or after measurement of BNP concentration, and the Mann-Whitney U test was used to detect significant difference between BNP concentrations in patients with and without abnormal FDG accumulation corresponding to the irradiated field.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was significant difference between the levels of BNP in patients without abnormal FDG accumulation in the irradiated myocardium and in patients with abnormal FDG accumulation (p < 0.001). The levels of BNP in the 9-24 months after radiotherapy group and in the >24 months after radiotherapy group were significantly higher than the levels in the before radiotherapy group, immediately after radiotherapy group, 1-2 months after radiotherapy group, and control group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The level of BNP was significantly increased more than 9 months after the start of radiotherapy and was significantly higher in patients who had high FDG accumulation corresponding to the irradiated field. The results of this study indicate that BNP concentration might be an early indicator of radiation-induced myocardial damage.
authors.affiliation: Department of Therapeutic Radiology, Tohoku University School of Medicine, Sendai, Japan. kjingu-jr@rad.med.tohoku.ac.jp
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Jingu
authors.forename: Kenji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nemoto
authors.forename: Tomohiro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaneta
authors.forename: Minako
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oikawa
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ogawa
authors.forename: Hisanori
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Ariga
authors.forename: Ken
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Toru
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Sakayauchi
authors.forename: Keisuke
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujimoto
authors.forename: Kakutaro
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Narazaki
authors.forename: Yoshihiro
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takai
authors.forename: Eiko
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Nakata
authors.forename: Hiroshi
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Fukuda
authors.forename: Shoki
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Shogo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamada
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000097:blood / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000532:radiotherapy*; D005260:Female; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18 / Q000378:metabolism*; D006321:Heart / Q000528:radiation effects; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3 / Q000097:blood*; D008875:Middle Aged; D018396:Mucin-1 / Q000097:blood; D009206:Myocardium / Q000378:metabolism*; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain / Q000097:blood*; D011877:Radionuclide Imaging; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals / Q000378:metabolism*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018709:Statistics, Nonparametric
chemical_list: D015415:Biomarkers; C060192:MUC1 protein, human; D018396:Mucin-1; D019275:Radiopharmaceuticals; D019788:Fluorodeoxyglucose F18; D020097:Natriuretic Peptide, Brain; D019278:Matrix Metalloproteinase 3