1 February 2018
February is heart health month!
It is well known that some breast cancer treatments including certain chemotherapy agents, trastuzumab (brand name herceptin – used for Her2/neu over-expressed cancers), and radiation therapy have the potential to cause damage to the heart. Echocardiograms and other monitoring tests are often performed during and after treatment for patients receiving certain chemotherapy medications and trastuzumab. We also try to tailor our treatment as much as possible to the individual patient’s tumor when treatment recommendations are made. Genomic tests such as the Oncotype Dx or MammaPrint help identify “low risk” patients that do not need chemotherapy.
In addition to regular monitoring, it is important that women who have been treated for breast cancer focus on the lifestyle factors that can improve heart health, such as regular exercise and a healthy diet. Women over 65 who have been treated for breast cancer are more likely to die of heart disease than the breast cancer, and all of the factors that improve heart health also decrease the risk of breast cancer recurrence.
Washington Post – Breast Cancer Treatments Can Raise Risk of Heart Disease
Forbes Online – Reasons Not to Freak Out About Risk of Heart Disease After Breast Cancer