The Effect of Clonal Hematopoiesis on Cardiovascular-Related Outcomes in Patients Diagnosed with Kidney Cancer
Abstract
Objective and Rationale: In general, patients diagnosed with any cancer are at risk of cardiovascular outcomes. This is no exception for kidney cancer. In fact, a recent report indicated that kidney cancer ranks 7th amongst cancers with the highest percentages of cardiovascular-related deaths in the United States. Because of progress with the development of targeted therapies and immunotherapies for advanced disease, patients are now able to live longer following a diagnosis of kidney cancer. Unfortunately, living longer with kidney cancer also puts patients at higher risk of cardiovascular events. As the medical community strives to help improve patient care and optimize all outcomes following a kidney cancer diagnosis, there is now a need to identify patients who would be at risk of cardiovascular issues at an early stage of clinical management of their cancer. This would facilitate preventive measures and guide treatment options. Recently, scientists have discovered a novel link between cancer and cardiovascular disease, which is a phenomenon termed clonal hematopoiesis. Clonal hematopoiesis can be simply defined as the presence of an expanded clone (not related to kidney cancer) detected in the blood. What is meant by expanded clone is an abundance of cells carrying a particular alteration in their genetic makeup. Clonal hematopoiesis had previously been established as an indicator of hematological cancer. In the last few years, several studies have reported individuals with clonal hematopoiesis may also be more susceptible to developing cardiovascular disease. Our preliminary studies have found that clonal hematopoiesis was associated with cardiovascular disease death in patients diagnosed with kidney cancer. Based on these preliminary results, we are interested in further exploring the potential role of clonal hematopoiesis in determining cardiovascular health for patients diagnosed with kidney cancer, and to describe the biology implicated in this newly found association. To accomplish this, we will attempt to identify similarities of genetic makeup between the kidney cancer and clonal hematopoiesis. Second, we will attempt to assess the relationship between clonal hematopoiesis and cardiovascular endpoints in patients diagnosed with kidney cancer treated at our institution and contrast it to those without clonal hematopoiesis. Finally, because clonal hematopoiesis has implications in inflammation, we will examine the presence of inflammatory markers in patients with clonal hematopoiesis. Career Goals and Contribution to the Academy of Kidney Cancer Investigators (AKCI): The Principal Investigator (PI) hopes to establish herself as an independent kidney cancer researcher with expertise in long-term survivorship care for patients diagnosed with the disease. The ability to provide markers that can pre-emptively identify those at higher risk of cardiovascular outcomes would help clinicians and patients better prepare and manage for that possibility. The learning prospects, networking, and resources that come with the AKCI award provide an invaluable platform for the PI to position herself in that space. The customized program and support from the Designated Mentor paired with workshops offered by the Academy will allow the PI to excel in her research by learning from the best in the field. Because being part of the AKCI provides the PI with many collaborative opportunities, the PI will be able to form additional working relations that will surely serve beyond the term of the award. In return, the PI hopes to participate and contribute to the growth of the AKCI by performing research that will be informative to improving survivorship of patients diagnosed with kidney cancer. The PI also hopes to be able to be a Designated Mentor to future researchers applying to the AKCI. Applicability of the Research: Patients with undiagnosed cardiovascular disease would benefit from clonal hematopoiesis
Document Details
- Document Type
- DoD Grant Award
- Publication Date
- Jan 04, 2024
- Source ID
- HT94252311002
Entities
People
- Maxine Sun
Organizations
- Dana–Farber Cancer Institute
- United States Army