RecruitingNAINTERVENTIONAL

Sodium-glucose Transporter Type 2 Inhibition in Anthracycline-related Cardiotoxicity

This study is investigating if a medication called dapagliflozin, an SGLT-2 inhibitor, can help protect the heart from damage caused by certain breast cancer chemotherapy drugs called anthracyclines. About 1 in 10 patients receiving these specific chemotherapy drugs can develop heart problems. Researchers want to see if taking dapagliflozin daily during chemotherapy reduces the chance of this heart damage. They will use special scans to measure how well the heart is working before and during treatment to understand if the drug is making a difference. The aim is to find ways to make cancer treatment safer for the heart.

At a glance

Status

Recruiting

Phase

Sponsor

University of Aberdeen

Enrolment target

Start

12 Dec 2025

Estimated completion

31 Oct 2028

Breast Cancer

What is this study about?

When you're being treated for breast cancer, some powerful chemotherapy drugs needed to fight the cancer can, in a small number of cases, also affect your heart. These drugs are called anthracyclines. Around 1 out of every 10 patients who receive this type of chemotherapy might experience some heart damage, sometimes called cardiotoxicity.

Researchers are curious about a particular medication called dapagliflozin. This drug is part of a group known as SGLT-2 inhibitors, and it's thought to have a protective effect on the heart. Scientists believe it might help prevent or reduce the kind of heart damage that anthracycline chemotherapy can cause. They've seen some promising signs in earlier studies that suggest this drug could help the heart's energy systems.

The main goal of this study is to find out if taking dapagliflozin every day during your anthracycline chemotherapy can actually lower the chances of heart damage. By understanding this, doctors hope to make cancer treatments even safer and help patients maintain good heart health during and after their cancer journey.

Key takeaways

This study evaluates if a drug can protect your heart during breast cancer chemotherapy.
The drug is called dapagliflozin and it might reduce heart damage from anthracyclines.
It's for breast cancer patients aged 18-70 who are having specific chemotherapy.
Your standard cancer treatment will not be changed.
Special heart scans will be used to monitor your heart health.
Participation is voluntary, and you can withdraw at any time.

Who may be eligible?

To be considered for this study, you would need to be a woman aged between 18 and 70 who has breast cancer and is going to have anthracycline chemotherapy. You also need to be able to read and understand English and be able to give your informed consent to take part.

There are also some important health checks. Your heart health needs to be generally good, and you shouldn't be at a high risk of heart problems already. This means checks will be done on your heart function and certain levels in your blood. For instance, your heart's pumping ability should be good, and some specific heart markers in your blood should be within a healthy range. You might still be able to join if you have one or two minor risk factors, like being a bit overweight or having slightly high blood pressure, but generally, your heart needs to be in good shape.

You wouldn't be able to join if you've already had cancer before, or if you have diabetes (type 1 or 2). Also, if you know you're allergic to dapagliflozin, or if you have serious kidney problems, or can't have MRI scans, this study wouldn't be suitable for you.

Quick self-check

Are you between 18 and 70 years old?
Are you having a type of chemotherapy called anthracyclines for breast cancer?
Do you have good general heart health with no high risks for heart problems?
Do you NOT have type 1 or type 2 diabetes?
Are you able to have MRI scans?

This is a guide only — the research team will confirm whether you can take part.

What does participation involve?

If you join this study, you would take the study drug, dapagliflozin, every day throughout your chemotherapy treatment. You would continue to receive your standard breast cancer treatment as planned. To see if the drug is working, you would have special heart scans, called cardiac MRI scans, before starting chemotherapy and at certain points during and after treatment. You would also have blood tests and other routine checks. The total length of your participation would depend on your chemotherapy schedule and follow-up scans, but it would involve regular appointments over several months.

Potential risks and benefits

Taking part in this study may offer a potential benefit by helping to protect your heart from the effects of chemotherapy, though this is not guaranteed. Your standard cancer treatment will continue as planned. As with any medication, dapagliflozin can have side effects, and these will be fully explained to you. We don't yet know for sure if it will prevent heart damage, and there's a risk it might not. You are free to withdraw from the study at any time, for any reason, without it affecting your ongoing medical care.

Locations (2)

Cardiac Research Office, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
Aberdeen, United Kingdom· Recruiting
University of Aberdeen
Aberdeen, United Kingdom· Recruiting

Common questions

What is cardiotoxicity?

Cardiotoxicity means damage to the heart muscle, in this case, caused by certain cancer treatments.

What are anthracyclines?

Anthracyclines are a type of chemotherapy drug commonly used to treat breast cancer.

What is dapagliflozin?

Dapagliflozin is a medication, also known as an SGLT-2 inhibitor, that researchers are investigating for its potential to protect the heart during chemotherapy.

Will this study change my cancer treatment?

No, your standard breast cancer treatment will continue exactly as your doctors planned. This study only adds dapagliflozin to see if it protects your heart.

What does 'low to medium cardiovascular risk' mean?

This means your heart needs to be generally healthy. Doctors will check for things like your blood pressure, some blood tests, and heart scans to make sure you're not at a very high risk of heart problems already.

How to find out more

Sylvia Kamya, MBChB

sylvia.kamya@nhs.scot +441224559573 Official trial record

Always speak to your GP or specialist before deciding to take part in a study.