Contents:
- Medical Video: What are the long term side effects of chemotherapy ? |Top Health FAQS
- How it works Herceptin, a breast cancer drug that can cause heart complications
- Preventing the risk of heart disease due to breast cancer chemotherapy
Medical Video: What are the long term side effects of chemotherapy ? |Top Health FAQS
Herceptin is one of the common breast cancer drugs used during chemotherapy. Herceptin is reported to be very effective in treating HER2-positive, the most aggressive type of breast cancer. But studies have shown that 1 in 4 women who use this drug experience heart disease as a complication. As a result, many breast cancer survivors, especially the elderly, are more at risk of dying from heart disease than the cancer itself.
How it works Herceptin, a breast cancer drug that can cause heart complications
HER2-positive breast cancer is the most aggressive compared to other types of breast cancer. This type of cancer occurs when the test shows a positive result in the presence of a protein namedhuman epidermal growth factor receptor 2 which can accelerate the growth of cancer cells. That's why HER2-positive breast cancer is immune to the effects of hormone therapy.
Treatment of HER2-positive breast cancer generally involves the use of herceptin (trastuzumab) which works to inhibit the action of HER-2 protein in the body. In addition to inhibiting the development of cancer cells, herceptin is also able to stimulate the immune system to destroy cancer cells.
This breast cancer drug was first approved for use by the Food and Drug Administration in 1998. The efficacy of herceptin for treating breast cancer is very high, making sufferers have a higher life expectancy. Even so, herceptin has a risk of side effects on heart health that need to be watched out. This drug can reduce the ability of the heart to pump blood to below 50 percent.
Other breast cancer drugs, such as doxorubicin (Adriamycin), are known to also have the same risk of heart health - abnormal heart rhythms, weakening the heart muscle, or damaging heart cells.
So, how to overcome the risk of these side effects?
Preventing the risk of heart disease due to breast cancer chemotherapy
The shadow of the risk of heart disease from chemotherapy for breast cancer should not prevent your treatment, experts say. Because the chemotherapy drugs recommended by your doctor may have the best chance of treating your cancer. Even so, many cancer specialists argue that if the risk of heart disease underlying your condition is low, you may not take chemotherapy.
Regardless of the risk, there are many preventative measures that can be taken to improve heart health during and after chemotherapy. For example, slower doses of the drug are reported to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
In addition, breast cancer therapy should also be accompanied by a heart specialist who is experienced in this field, because the effects can occur for months or even years after chemotherapy is completed. The risk of heart disease due to side effects of breast cancer drugs can also be controlled by the use of blood pressure medications such as ACE inhibitors and beta blockers. In addition, ACE inhibitors and beta blockers can also reduce the risk of heart muscle damage due to the use of certain drugs.
Reporting from the Washington Post, Susan Gilchrist, professor of cancer prevention and clinical cardiology at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, said that regular exercise can maintain heart fitness during chemotherapy. Gilchrist added that breast cancer patients can experience a decline in body fitness by 30 percent, gain weight up to 5 kilograms, and experience premature aging after undergoing chemo for three or four months. Maintaining a healthy diet and regular exercise during and after chemo can counteract these effects, said Ghilchrist. He recommends survivors of breast cancer to do mild aerobic exercise three times a week.
In the end, it is important for every person with cancer to know that heart health needs to be maintained before, during, and after treatment. Both patients and doctors must discuss together to consider the benefits and risks of breast cancer drugs that will be used before deciding on treatment as should be done.
