Hui D, et al. - Researchers aimed to assess the utility plasma natriuretic peptides for determining survival in patients with advanced cancer without clinical evidence of heart failure via conducting an exploratory analysis of a multicenter, randomized clinical trial of 97 cancer patients (mean age: 67.2 years) receiving hospice care. The overall survival was 16 days (95% CI, 13–23 days). Univariate Cox regression analysis suggested an inverse correlation of brain natriuretic peptides (BNP) or Pro-BNP with overall survival; this correlation remained significant in multivariate Cox regression analysis following adjusting for treatment group and known prognostic variables such as performance status, albumin, creatinine, delirium, dyspnea, and anorexia. The preliminary results indicate the significance of BNP or Pro-BNP as a novel objective prognostic marker in cancer patients without heart failure.