[Cardiac safety of trastuzumab in adjuvant: a review across 53 observations]

J Gynecol Obstet Biol Reprod (Paris). 2011 Apr;40(2):144-8. doi: 10.1016/j.jgyn.2010.12.003. Epub 2011 Jan 11.
[Article in French]

Abstract

Trastuzumab has been a revolution in the treatment of breast cancer overexpressing HER. Its use as an adjuvant for a period of 1 year is currently an international standard. Its major toxicity is cardiac, where the systematic monitoring of the LVEF before and during treatment. To evaluate the cardiac safety for our patients, we conducted this retrospective case-control study. The average in LVEF before the start of trastuzumab was 62.5% (51-80), and at the end of treatment 60.55 (40-77), a decrease in absolute value by 2%. This difference is statistically significant with P<0.001. Eighty-three percent of our patients have completed treatment, of whom 26.4% with a provisional arrest because of a regressive fall in LVEF. A final arrest has been made in 17% cases due to either a nonregressive reduction in LVEF or the appearance of symptomatic heart failure found in two patients. Analysis of risk factors toxicity found in this group of patients with a cardiotoxicity persisting an average age and average number of treatments received anthracyclines higher than the rest of our sample, and diminished baseline LVEF. But all these differences were not statistically significants. During the period of monitoring of these patients, six (67%) had spontaneous recovery of their LFEV 5 months ± 2.01 after discontinuation of trastuzumab. For two cases of symptomatic heart failure, they had a clinical improvement under medical treatment in February but is still less than 40%. The cardiac safety in our study seems comparable with the literature data but located in the upper range of levels of toxicity. The lack of statistical power of our study does not exclude a greater cardiac toxicity of trastuzumab among Moroccan women and should prompt a more cautious use of this drug and the achievement of larger studies that could answer this question.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • English Abstract
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / adverse effects*
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal / therapeutic use
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Agents / adverse effects*
  • Antineoplastic Agents / therapeutic use
  • Breast Neoplasms / drug therapy*
  • Chemotherapy, Adjuvant
  • Female
  • Heart Diseases / chemically induced
  • Heart Diseases / epidemiology*
  • Heart Diseases / physiopathology
  • Humans
  • Middle Aged
  • Stroke Volume
  • Trastuzumab
  • Ventricular Function, Left

Substances

  • Antibodies, Monoclonal
  • Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized
  • Antineoplastic Agents
  • Trastuzumab