Abstract
Purpose: To evaluate changes in left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) after four cycles of adjuvant doxorubicin plus cyclophosphamide (AC) in women with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-positive (node-positive or node-negative) breast cancer enrolled onto the North Central Cancer Treatment Group N9831 Intergroup Adjuvant Trial. Patients and Methods: Patients were randomly assigned to receive standard doxorubicin (60 mg/m2) plus cyclophosphamide (600 mg/m2) every 3 weeks for four cycles followed by (1) weekly paclitaxel for 12 weeks; (2) weekly paclitaxel for 12 weeks, then weekly trastuzumab for 52 weeks; or (3) weekly paclitaxel plus trastuzumab for 12 weeks, then weekly trastuzumab for 40 weeks. LVEF was monitored before and after AC. Results: Of the 1,576 eligible patients who completed AC, 1,458 had pre- and post-AC LVEF measurements taken using the same methodology (multiple-gated acquisition in 1,153 patients and echocardiogram in 305 patients). Among these 1,458 patients, 745 (51.1%) had ≤ 15% decrease in LVEF and LVEF that remained at or above the radiologic lower limit of normal (LLN); 42 patients (2.9%) had < 15% decrease in LVEF and LVEF that decreased to or below the LLN; and 37 patients (2.5%) had an LVEF decrease of more than 15%. There was grade 2 LVEF toxicity in 96 (6.6%) of the 1,458 patients. Conclusion: Standard AC chemotherapy is associated with frequent decreases in LVEF, which are noted when measured 3 weeks after completion of the fourth cycle. Patients are being observed to determine the long-term significance of this and the potential impact on subsequent treatment options.
Original language | English (US) |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 3700-3704 |
Number of pages | 5 |
Journal | Journal of Clinical Oncology |
Volume | 22 |
Issue number | 18 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2004 |
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Oncology
- Cancer Research