Investigation of chemotherapy-induced cardiac dysfunction in breast cancer

Although recent advancements in cancer treatment have significantly improved survival rates, they have also raised concerns regarding severe adverse effects, including cardiotoxicity. We conducted a prospective study at Dayanand Medical College and Hospital, Ludhiana to assess chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction in newly diagnosed, histologically confirmed breast cancer cases. Among 97 breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, 13 (13.4%) developed left ventricular dysfunction (LVD), predominantly in younger patients with left-sided breast involvement (64.9%). A significant association was found between estrogen receptor (ER) positivity and LVD risk (P = 0.03), with 15.4% of LVD patients also being hypertensive. The incidence of LVD was notably high at 38.5% among patients receiving trastuzumab, while cumulative doses of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide did not show significant correlation with LVD. Recovery was promising, with 76.9% of affected patients demonstrating significant improvement post-treatment. These findings highlight the need for continuous cardiac monitoring and personalized treatment strategies to mitigate LVD risk.

尽管近年来癌症治疗的进展显著提高了生存率，但也引发了对包括心脏毒性在内的严重不良反应的担忧。我们在卢迪亚纳的达亚南德医学院附属医院开展了一项前瞻性研究，旨在评估新确诊、经组织学证实的乳腺癌病例中化疗相关的心脏功能障碍。在97例接受化疗的乳腺癌患者中，13例（13.4%）出现左心室功能障碍（left ventricular dysfunction, LVD），主要发生在左侧乳腺受累的年轻患者中（64.9%）。研究发现雌激素受体（estrogen receptor, ER）阳性与LVD风险之间存在显著关联（P=0.03），且15.4%的LVD患者同时患有高血压。接受曲妥珠单抗（trastuzumab）治疗的患者中LVD发生率显著较高，达38.5%，而多柔比星（doxorubicin）和环磷酰胺（cyclophosphamide）的累积剂量与LVD无显著相关性。恢复情况良好，76.9%的受累患者在治疗后表现出显著改善。这些发现强调了持续心脏监测和个性化治疗策略对降低LVD风险的必要性。