Herceptin Research Today is a free monthly online journal that collates and summarizes the latest research about Herceptin, including details on side-effects, breast cancer, treatment, therapy.

Cardiac toxicity in breast cancer survivors: review of potential cardiac problems.

Bird BR, Swain SM

Breast Cancer Section, Medical Oncology Branch, Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health, MD, USA.

As breast cancer survival is increased by the diagnosis of earlier-stage disease and treatments improve, the side effects of cancer treatments, such as cardiotoxicity, remain clinically important. Although physicians have known for 30 years that anthracyclines cause acute and chronic cardiotoxicity, the cardiotoxic effects of radiation therapy, hormonal therapy (including tamoxifen and the aromatase inhibitors), and chemotherapy with taxanes and trastuzumab treatment have emerged more recently. This review examines the cardiac toxicity of adjuvant therapy, monitoring for early changes and existing guidelines for monitoring cardiac function in patients with breast cancer.

Published 3 January 2008 in Clin Cancer Res, 14(1): 14-24.
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