Cardiac toxicity of patients on short course trastuzumab in combination with chemotherapy (FinHer Protocol) in breast cancer.

Abstract

FinHer regimen is considered a relatively cardiac safe regimen for Her 2 positive breast cancer in resource-limited settings. There is limited data on cardiotoxicity of this regimen. Out of 1200 patients diagnosed with carcinoma breast during the study period, three hundred Her2-positive early-breast cancer patients received FinHer protocol were included. Among the 300 patients, a total of 71 patients (24%) experienced cardiac toxicity including asymptomatic EF loss in 62 patients (21%) and symptomatic LVEF loss in nine patients (3%). Among patients with symptomatic LVEF loss, six patients had symptomatic cardiac toxicity, one patient (0.3%) had symptoms with fall in EF after completion of treatment, one patient (0.3%) had Congestive cardiac failure (CHF); one patient (0.3%) had non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI). Later, trastuzumab was rechallenged in all 62 patients (24%) with asymptomatic LVEF loss and six patients (2%) with symptomatic LVEF loss. One patient with CHF and NSTEMI was not rechallenged. Hypertension and diabetic mellitus which were the two factors found to have risk on univariate logistic regression analysis although it was not statistically significant. None of these patients further experienced cardiac toxicity at 24 months follow-up except one patient. Although FinHer protocol is considered a cardiac safe protocol, cardiotoxicity associated with trastuzumab which can manifest as an asymptomatic decline in LVEF is more than usually expected in a real-world scenario.