Cardiac complications of non-cardiac surgeries are an actual and unresolved interdisciplinary problem of clinical medicine today. The incidence of cardiovascular events after non-cardiac surgery is higher than in the general population and does not tend to decrease. The risk of cardiac complications in cancer surgery is the highest. Evidence-based approaches to risk assessment and prevention of cardiovascular events in surgical patients with malignant neoplasms have not been developed. In current clinical guidelines on the prevention, prognosis and treatment of cardiac complications of non-cardiac surgeries, the aspects of this problem in surgical oncology are not considered separately.The aim of this review was to analyze the current sources of literature on the prediction of cardiovascular complications in surgical treatment of cancer patients. The distinctive features of cancer surgery and additional factors causing an increased risk of adverse cardiac outcomes in patients with malignant neoplasms are described. The article presents the results of large cohort studies on the search for reliable predictors of cardiac complications in non-cardiac surgery and on the development of stratification scales and algorithms for preoperative risk assessment. Particular attention is paid to the possibilities and prospects of using these predictive tools in the surgical treatment of cancer. The surgical risks of interventions for malignant neoplasms are described, as well as methods for calculating cardiac risk and functional status assessment that have been validated in oncological patients cohorts. The data of recent studies on the role of serum biomarkers of myocardial damage and increased cardiovascular risk (cardiac troponins and brain natriuretic peptide) in predicting postoperative cardiac events in non-cardiac surgery are presented. Further prospects for the inclusion of biomarkers in risk stratification systems in patients with malignant neoplasms are discussed.

Aim. To study the perioperative dynamics of myocardial injury biomarkers high-sensitivity cardiac troponin I (hs-cTnI), ischemia-modified albumin (IMA) and soluble ST2 (sST2) when taking nicorandil in lung cancer patients with concomitant coronary heart disease (CHD) undergoing surgical lung resection.Material and methods. The study included 54 patients (11 women and 43 men) with non-small cell lung cancer and concomitant stable CHD who underwent lung resection in the volume of lobectomy or pneumonectomy. Patients were randomly assigned to the nicorandil group (oral administration 10 mg BID for 7 days before and 3 days after surgery; n=27) and the control group (n=27). In the study groups, the perioperative dynamics of hscTnI, IMA and sST2, determined in the blood before and 24 and 48h after surgery, were compared. We calculated the incidence of acute myocardial injury in the groups, which was diagnosed in cases of postoperative hs-cTnI increase of more than one 99th percentile of the upper reference limit. The associations of nicorandil intake and acute myocardial injury were evaluated.Results. The groups were comparable in gender, age, basic clinical characteristics, as well as baseline levels of myocardial injury biomarkers. After the intervention, both samples showed an increase in the hs-cTnI and sST2 levels and a decrease in IMA concentration (all p<0.02 for related group differences). In the nicorandil group, in comparison with the control one, 48h after surgery, we found lower mean levels of hs-cTnI [16.7 (11.9;39.7) vs 44.3 (15.0;130.7) ng/l; p<0.05) and sST2 [62.8 (43.6;70.1) vs 76.5 (50.2;87.1) ng/ml; p<0.05), concentration increase rates of hs-cTnI [14.8 (0.7;42.2) vs 32.5 (14.0;125.0) ng/l; p<0.01) and sST2 [24.4 (10.3;42.4) vs 47.4 (17.5;65.3) ng/ml; p<0.05), as well as highest concentrations for the entire postoperative period of hs-cTnI [30.7 (12.0;53.7) vs 79.0 (20.3;203.3) ng/L, p<0.01] and sST2 [99.8 (73.6;162.5) vs 147.8 (87.8;207.7) ng/mL; p<0.05]. The serum IMA decreased when taking nicorandil to a greater extent [-8.0 (-12.6; -2.0) vs -2.7 (-6.0; +5.5) ng/ ml; p<0.01] 24h after surgery. Acute myocardial injury was diagnosed in 7 people in the nicorandil group (25.9%) and in 15 in the control one (55.6%; pχ2=0.027). The adjusted odds ratio of acute myocardial injury when taking nicorandil was 0.35 (95% confidence interval 0.15-0.83, p=0.017).Conclusion. Taking  nicorandil  in patients with lung cancer and concomitant CHD  who underwent  surgical  lung resection is associated  with a lower postoperative  increase in hs-cTnI  and sST2  and a reduced risk of acute myocardial  injury, which may indicate the cardioprotective effect of nicorandil under acute surgical stress conditions.

Aim. To study the perioperative dynamics of myocardial injury biomarkers and determine their significance in assessing the postoperative mortality risk in patients with nonsmall cell lung cancer.Methods. The study included 82 male patients with non-small cell lung cancer undergoing pneumonectomy. The median age was 64 (59; 67) years. The blood levels of cardiac troponin I (cTnI), N-terminal pro b-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) and fatty acid-binding protein (FABP) were noted before and after surgery. The rate of myocardial injury after non-cardiac surgery (MINS) was determined. The postoperative cTnI level above 0.023 μg/L was considered as MINS criterion. The significance of the studied biomarkers in predicting the total mortality within 6 months after surgery was assessed using the univariate and multivariate Cox regression and ROC analysis.Results. Compared to baseline levels, all myocardial injury biomarkers increased in 24 and 48h after surgery: cTnI by 120 and 85%, NT-proBNP by 128 and 129%, FABP by 207 and 31%, respectively. The postoperative cTnI levels met the MINS criterion in 45.1% of patients. During the follow-up period 12 patients died, 9 (75%) of those were diagnosed with MINS. Based on the results of the univariate Cox regression overall postoperative mortality was associated with NTproBNP levels before and after the surgery, cTnI growth rate after the surgery and MINS. According to the multivariate Cox regression (adjusted for age and other clinical parameters), preoperative NT-proBNP and atrial fibrillation proved to be the independent predictors of postoperative mortality. The cut-off value of preoperative NT-proBNP was 225 pg/mL; relative risk of death above that value was 5.9 and 95% confidence interval of 1.74–20.0.Conclusion. In patients with non-small cell lung cancer the increase of cTnI, NT-proBNP and FABP mean levels was observed in 24 and 48 hours after pneumonectomy. MINS was diagnosed in 45.1% of patients. According to the univariate regression analysis, MINS and preoperative and postoperative NT-proBNP levels were associated with the risk of total six-month postoperative mortality. The preoperative NT-proBNP was proved to be an independent predictor of adverse outcome.