Effectiveness of surveillance by echocardiography for cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction of patients with breast cancer

Abstract

BackgroundCancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) affect the prognosis of patients with breast cancer. Echocardiographic surveillance of patients treated with anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor type 2 (HER2) antibodies has been recommended, but few reports have provided evidence on patients with breast cancer only. We aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of echocardiographic surveillance for breast cancer patients. MethodsWe identified 250 patients with breast cancer who were treated with anti-HER2 antibodies from July 2007 to September 2021. We divided 48 patients with echocardiographic surveillance every 3 months into the surveillance group and 202 patients without echocardiographic surveillance into the non-surveillance group. In the surveillance group, patients with a considerable reduction in global longitudinal strain of 15 % were considered for the initiation of cardioprotective drugs. The composite outcome of CTRCD and acute heart failure was the study endpoint. ResultsThe mean age was 59 ± 12 years. During the follow-up period of 15 months (12–17 months), 12 patients reached the endpoint. The surveillance group had significantly lower incidence of the composite outcome (2.1 % vs. 5.5 %, adjusted odds ratio: 0.28, 95 % confidential intervals: 0.09–0.94; p = 0.039) and higher rates of prescriptions of cardioprotective drugs than the non-surveillance group. ConclusionsThe incidence of cardiac complications was significantly lower in the surveillance group than the non-surveillance group, which supports the effectiveness of echocardiographic surveillance in patients with breast cancer.