Research Group of Cardio-Oncology

Head of the Group — Maria Simakova, MD, PhD, Senior Researcher.

Project description

Subjects of the Cardio-Oncology Research Group are patients with malignant tumors of various localisations, initially at risk of cardiovascular complications and undergoing antitumor treatment (chemotherapy, surgery or combination).

Objective

To develop personalized approaches for risk stratification and prevention of cardiovascular complications in cancer patients under different antitumor treatment options.

Focus areas

Evaluation of potential predictors of cardiovascular complications associated with immune checkpoint therapy (ICT).

Despite the proven high efficacy of this class of drugs (increased relapse-free and overall survival of patients, including those with metastatic forms of cancer), the use of ICT is associated with the development of systemic autoimmune complications. Each year, the number of documented cases of cardiovascular complications developing in the context of immunotherapy is also increasing, which is becoming a serious problem and is associated with a high mortality rate. However, the true prevalence of cardiovascular complications in real clinical practice and the mechanism of their occurrence remain unknown.

Tasks:

1. To evaluate the initial risk factors for cardiovascular disease in cancer patients undergoing ICT therapy and their dynamics in the context of immunotherapy.

2. To clarify the molecular basis for developing cardiovascular complications associated with ICT therapy.

3. To identify potential predictors of cardiovascular complications associated with ICT therapy and optimize the algorithm for their early diagnosis and prevention.

Search for predictors of venous thromboembolic complications in patients with CNS malignancies

Venous thromboembolic complications (VTEC) occur in 10-20% of cancer patients during their lifetime and are detected at autopsy in 30-50% of cases. At the same time, the apparent advances in the treatment of malignant lesions and the emergence of new antitumor drugs do not reduce the incidence of cancer-associated thrombosis. The risk of VTEC depends on the type of cancer and is particularly high in patients with brain tumors. It is extremely important to elucidate the mechanisms of thrombosis in this group of patients and to establish a VTEC risk stratification algorithm for antitumor treatment with the formulation of principles of perioperative management based on integrated laboratory tests for hemostasis assessment.

Tasks:

1. To elucidate VTEC mechanisms in patients with CNS malignancies.

2. To evaluate the efficacy of using an integral hemostasis assessment test (thrombin generation assay) for a personalized approach to the assessment of individual perioperative thrombosis risk in patients with CNS malignancies.

3. To develop an algorithm for VTEC risk stratification in patients with CNS malignancies.

Improving the effectiveness of surgical treatment of cancer in patients with severe cardiovascular disease

A prospective, randomized trial is conducted to examine the efficacy of isolated remote ischemic preconditioning and a combination of ischemic and pharmacological preconditioning for perioperative cardiac protection and improved outcomes of surgical treatment in cancer patients with clinically significant cardiovascular comorbidities.

Specialists of the Laboratory

• Maria Simakova, MD, PhD, Head of the Group, Senior Researcher
• Olga Sirotkina, DSc in Biology, Chief Researcher
• Olga Melnichnikova, MD, PhD, Senior Researcher
• Tatyana Shuginova, Researcher
• Ekaterina Urumova, Junior Researcher
• Ekaterina Kushnareva, Junior Researcher
• Ekaterina Zolotova, Junior Researcher
• Konstantin Pischulov, Junior Researcher
• Anna Savelieva, Junior Researcher

Contacts

Maria Simakova, Head of the Group
e-mail: simakova_ma@almazovcentre.ru