Milan, Italy - 5 December 2018: Breast cancer patients who take a heart drug at the same time as trastuzumab have less heart damage, according to a study presented today at EuroEcho-Imaging 2018.1
"Heart damage is a major side effect of the breast cancer drug trastuzumab and may force patients to stop treatment," said lead author Dr Maryam Moshkani Farahani, associate professor, Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran. "Our study suggests that patients who take the beta-blocker carvedilol together with trastuzumab have less heart damage than those who take trastuzumab alone."
The study enrolled 71 patients with non-metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer. Patients were randomly allocated to receive trastuzumab with, or without, carvedilol.
Impaired function of the heart's left ventricle is the main type of heart damage caused by trastuzumab. Carvedilol is used to treat patients with impaired left ventricular function after a heart attack. It is also prescribed for heart failure and high blood pressure.
For the study, an imaging technique called two-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography was used to assess the systolic and diastolic function of the left ventricle initially and at three months. Specifically, systolic function was measured using global longitudinal strain and strain rate, while diastolic function was assessed with strain rate.
According to all of the measurements, systolic and diastolic left ventricular function were better preserved at three months in patients who took carvedilol with trastuzumab compared to those who took trastuzumab alone.
The pumping function of the heart (left ventricular ejection fraction) did not differ between treatment groups at the start of the study or at three months. "The measures we used to assess left ventricular function - namely global longitudinal strain and strain rate - are more sensitive than left ventricular ejection fraction," explained Dr Moshkani Farahani.
Dr Moshkani Farahani noted that carvedilol can cause side effects, such as dizziness, drowsiness, fainting, mood changes, shortness of breath, and diarrhoea. Patients who feel unwell when taking the medication should consult their doctor.
She concluded: "The findings indicate that carvedilol may be an effective way to prevent the heart damage caused by trastuzumab treatment. We now advise our patients with non-metastatic HER2-positive breast cancer to take prophylactic carvedilol, but a larger study is needed before firm recommendations can be made."
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Authors: ESC Press Office Tel: +33 (0)4 8987 2499 Email: press@escardio.org
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SOURCES OF FUNDING: None.
DISCLOSURES: None.
References and notes
1The abstract 'Assessment of treatment with carvedilol in preventing early stage left ventricular dysfunction in breast cancer patients by 2D speckle tracking echocardiography' will be presented during Poster session 1: Tissue Doppler, Speckle Tracking and Strain Imaging on 5 December, 09:00 to 16:00 CET, in the Poster area.
About the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI)
The European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) - a branch of the ESC - is the world leading network of Cardiovascular Imaging (CVI) experts, gathering four imaging modalities under one entity (Echocardiography, Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance, Nuclear Cardiology and Cardiac Computed Tomography). Its aim is to promote excellence in clinical diagnosis, research, technical development, and education in cardiovascular imaging. The EACVI welcomes over 11,000 professionals including cardiologists, sonographers, nurses, basic scientists and allied professionals.
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Information for journalists attending EuroEcho-Imaging 2018
EuroEcho-Imaging 2018 takes place 5 to 8 December at the MiCo Milano Congressi in Milan, Italy. Explore the scientific programme.
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