Association of genetically proxied cancer-targeted drugs with cardiovascular diseases through Mendelian randomization analysis.

BACKGROUND

Cancer-targeted therapies are progressively pivotal in oncological care. Observational studies underscore the emergence of cancer therapy-related cardiovascular toxicity (CTR-CVT), impacting patient outcomes. We aimed to investigate the causal relationship between different types of cancer-targeted therapies and cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes through a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) study.

METHODS

This genome-wide association study was conducted using a two-sample Mendelian randomization framework. Genetic instruments for drug target gene expression were extracted from the eQTLGen consortium (31684 individuals, 37 cohorts). Genome-wide association study (GWAS) summary statistics for 19 cardiovascular diseases were derived from the FinnGen database. Primary analysis was carried out using the summary-data-based MR (SMR) method, with sensitivity analysis for validation. Colocalization analysis identifies shared causal variants between exposure eQTLs and CVD-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs).

RESULTS

Among the 39 drug target genes, 8 were identified with detectable cis-eQTLs and were subsequently validated through positive control analysis for further investigation. In the SMR and sensitivity analyses, genetically proxied VEGFA inhibition showed significantly strong association with stroke (odds ratio [OR] = 1.17, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.09-1.26, p = 1.33 × 10). Additionally, the inhibition of FGFR1, FLT1, and MAP2K2 exhibited suggestive association with corresponding cardiovascular disease outcomes. Nevertheless, only VEGFA expression and stroke shared a causal variant (93.6%), whereas FGFR1, MAP2K2, and FLT1 did not share causal variants with corresponding cardiovascular diseases in the colocalization analysis.

CONCLUSIONS

This genetic association study revealed evidence supporting the genetic association between the use of VEGFA inhibitors and increased stroke risk, highlighting the need for enhanced pharmacovigilance. These findings underscore the delicate balance between cardiovascular toxicity risk and the benefits of cancer-targeted therapy.