Cardioprotective effects of PARP inhibitors for platinum-agent induced cardiotoxicity

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) inhibitors may have cardioprotective properties. This study aimed to evaluate the potential cardioprotective effects of PARP inhibitors in patients with epithelial ovarian cancer treated with platinum-based chemotherapeutic agents. A retrospective cohort study was conducted using the Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service claims database from January 2007 to July 2022. Eligible patients were those diagnosed with ovarian, primary peritoneal, or fallopian tube cancer who received platinum-based chemotherapy after 2017. Propensity score matching was employed to adjust for potential confounders, and logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards regression analyses were utilized to estimate the odds ratios, hazard ratios, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for the occurrence of cardiac adverse events, including myocardial infarction, cardiomyopathy, and heart failure. A total of 7,253 eligible patients were included in the study, of which 233 (3.2%) used PARP inhibitors. After propensity score matching, no significant cardioprotective effect was observed in the PARP inhibitor-exposed group compared to the non-exposed group (adjusted odds ratio, 0.753; 95% CI 0.275–2.059; adjusted hazard ratio, 0.601; 95% CI 0.228–1.584). Although no statistically significant cardioprotective effect of PARP inhibitors was found in this study, there was a directional trend suggesting that patients with gynecologic malignancies treated with platinum-based chemotherapy could potentially benefit from PARP inhibitors. Further research with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods is warranted to elucidate the role of PARP inhibitors in mitigating cardiac adverse events in this patient population.