Antineoplastic-related cardiovascular toxicity: A systematic review and meta-analysis in Asia

Grading Evaluation of Cardiotoxicity in Patients with Breast Cancer Treated with Adjuvant Paclitaxel Anthracycline/Cyclophosphamide Chemotherapy: A Meta-Analysis

Objective

The cardiac safety of concurrent treatment with anthracycline (A), cyclophosphamide (C), and paclitaxel (T) in an adjuvant BC treatment regimen is still under debate. In this study, we aimed to determine cardiotoxicity events following ACT chemotherapy among operable breast cancer patients without HER2-positive.

Methods

We searched PubMed and the Cochrane Library for RCTs prior to July 2019 evaluating the cardiac impairment of ACT chemotherapy regimens in BC patients. The search terms were “BC,” “chemotherapy,” “docetaxel or “doxorubicin,” “paclitaxel,” and “cyclophosphamide.” Cardiotoxic events included LVEF decline ≥ 10 points, congestive heart failure (CHF), and cardiac death.

Results

In total, 12 studies with 4032 subjects were included in this meta-analysis, and all patients received ACT regimen. The analysis results indicated that LVEF decrease ≥ 10 points was the most common cardiotoxic event (16%; (95% CI (8%–24%)) with χ² = 95.75, P < 0.001, I² = 95.8%). CHF showed the lowest rate (1%; (95% CI (0%–1%)) with χ² = 8.00, P = 0.433, I² = 0.0%). Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the incidence of CHF due to A → C → T chemotherapy regimen was lower than that of other events, however, without significance. No significant difference was observed in the occurrence of cardiac death.

Conclusion

The ACT regimen in patients with HER2-negative BC was associated with an increased risk of adverse cardiactoxic events.

Cardiotoxicity and Cardiac Monitoring Among Anthracycline-Treated Cancer Patients: A Retrospective Cohort Study

Purpose

Cardiotoxicity is a common complication associated with anthracyclines. Little is known regarding the rate of anthracyclines-related acute and chronic cardiotoxicity and adherence to cardiac monitoring recommendations among cancer patients.

Patients and Methods

A single-centre retrospective cohort study was conducted from 2015 to 2018 on patients with cancer, 18 years of age and older, on anthracyclines without a history of cardiovascular diseases. Data on demographic information, comorbidities, cardiovascular events, monitoring parameters, and treatment details were obtained. The primary outcome was the incidence of anthracyclines-related cardiotoxicity both acute and chronic. The secondary outcome was to determine adherence to guideline recommendations for monitoring anthracyclines-related cardiotoxicity based on the American Society of Clinical Oncology clinical practice guidelines. Analyses included descriptive statistics and logistic regression. Institutional review board approval was obtained.

Results

In 235 patients identified, 28.9% developed cardiotoxicity, of which 27.2% were acute, while chronic cardiotoxicity was observed in 8.9% of subjects. Patients who received optimal cardiac monitoring had a statistically significant higher odds of developing cardiotoxicities (odds ratio=2.65, confidence interval=1.32-5.33). The risk of cardiotoxicity was higher in subjects with a history of diabetes mellitus, those using daunorubicin, and concomitant filgrastim use. Adherence to guideline recommendations was only achieved in 25.1% of the population. Echocardiography was the most common monitoring method used.

Conclusion

In this study, there was a high incidence of anthracyclines cardiotoxicity and poor compliance with cardiac monitoring recommendations for cancer patients on anthracyclines, which underscores acute and chronic cardiotoxicity in this population.