Carcinoma of the breast and cardiotoxicity

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease and breast cancer are the first and fifth cause of death among women worldwide, respectively. These diseases share several risk factors (age, diet, obesity, smoking, etc.) and early diagnosis and treatment have led to im-proving prognosis and survival. However, the increase in the risk of developing cardiotoxicity (manifested as ventricular dysfunction, arrhythmias, cardiovascular disease, etc.) associated with breast cancer treatment (chemotherapy and radiothe-rapy) could limit its use. Accordingly, there is an increasing importance of optimizing the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cardiac dysfunction and cardiovascular complications developed as a result of breast cancer treatment. Risk factors for cardiovascular disease should be assessed for every patient with breast cancer scheduled to receive oncology treatment. This evaluation could include an electrocardiogram, an echocardiogram and biomarkers such as troponin levels and BNP in order to perform a risk assessment and monitoring of cardiotoxicity. Here, we summarize the recommendations regarding the diagnosis and management of breast cancer patients at risk of developing treatment-induced cardiotoxicity.