Cardiac Dysfunction Among Breast Cancer Survivors: Role of Cardiotoxic Therapy and Cardiovascular Risk Factors
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Purpose
Cardiac dysfunction is the leading cause of mortality among 10-year breast cancer survivors. Limited information regarding long-term risks of cardiac dysfunction after cardiotoxic therapy (anthracyclines, trastuzumab/pertuzumab, radiation) has precluded development of surveillance guidelines for the survivors.
Methods
Patients with breast cancer who completed cardiotoxic therapy underwent echocardiographic screening every 2 years. New-onset cardiac dysfunction was defined as left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) <50% after cardiotoxic therapy initiation and included early- and late-onset cardiac dysfunction.
Results
We evaluated 2,808 echocardiograms in 829 breast cancer survivors; the median age at breast cancer diagnosis was 54.2 years (range 20.3-86.3); the median follow-up was 8.6 years (1.8-39.8); 39.7% received anthracyclines, 16% received trastuzumab/pertuzumab, 6.2% received both anthracyclines and trastuzumab/pertuzumab, and 38.1% received radiation alone. The cumulative incidence of cardiac dysfunction increased from 1.8% at 2 years to 15.3% at 15 years from cardiotoxic therapy initiation. Multivariable Cox regression analysis identified the following risk factors: non-Hispanic Black race (hazard ratio [HR] 2.15, [95% CI] 1.37-3.38), cardiotoxic therapies (anthracyclines: HR 2.35, [95% CI 1.25-4.4]; anthracyclines and trastuzumab/pertuzumab: HR [3.92, 95% CI 1.74- 8.85]; reference: left breast radiation alone), selective estrogen receptor modulators (HR 2.0, [95% CI 1.2-3.33]), and precancer hypertension (HR 3.16, [95% CI 1.63-6.1]). Late-onset cardiac dysfunction was most prevalent among anthracycline- and radiation-exposed patients; early-onset cardiac dysfunction was most prevalent among patients exposed to anthracyclines and trastuzumab/pertuzumab; equal prevalence of both early- and late-onset cardiac dysfunction was observed in trastuzumab-/pertuzumab-exposed patients. Adjusted longitudinal analyses revealed an annual decline in LVEF by 0.29% (P=0.009) over 20 years from breast cancer diagnosis.
Conclusion
These findings provide evidence to support echocardiographic surveillance for several years after cardiotoxic therapy and also suggest a need to examine the efficacy of management of cardiovascular risk factors to mitigate risk.
Read an interview about the study here.
Read the full article
Cardiac Dysfunction Among Breast Cancer Survivors: Role of Cardiotoxic Therapy and Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Primary Source
Journal of Clinical Oncology
Source Reference: