N-TERMINAL PRO-BRAIN NATRIURETIC PEPTIDE AS A PROGNOSTIC MARKER FOR RESPONSE TO INTENSIVE CHEMOTHERAPY IN ACUTE MYELOID LEUKEMIA PATIENTS

Acute myeloid leukemia (AML) is a rapidly progressing myeloid neoplasm characterized by the clonal expansion of immature myeloid-derived cells, known as blasts, in the peripheral blood and bone marrow resulting in ineffective erythropoiesis and megakaryopoiesis, clinically manifested as relatively rapid bone marrow failure compared to chronic and indolent leukemias.Several patient-related factors, including age, poor organ function and especially cardiac comorbidities are prognostic factors in patients with AML. These variables are of particular importance when exploring the ability of patients to tolerate high-dose induction chemotherapy and/or HSCT.Anthracyclines are cytostatic antibiotics, introduced into the clinical field in the 1960. Unfortunately, anthracyclines are considered the principal culprit drugs behind chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity. A robust laboratory-based biomarker assessing cardiac function and predicting tolerability of chemotherapy and general outcomes is lacking in AML. NT-ProBNP is a biomarker broadly used for the diagnosis, evaluation, and monitoring of cardiomyopathies. In addition, NT-ProBNP is also known to serve as a useful marker for early detection of asymptomatic or imminent heart failure.