Francisco J. Esteva: Breast cancer survivors are at higher risk of heart failure especially if they receive anthracycline-based chemotherapy

Francisco J. Esteva, Chief of Division of Hematology and Medical Oncology at Lenox Hill Hospital, shared a post on LinkedIn:

“Breast cancer is highly curable, with more than 4 million survivors in the US in 2024. As more women survive breast cancer, they are at higher risk of heart failure over time, especially if they receive anthracycline-based chemotherapy, and HER2-targeted therapy. Anthracyclines can generally be avoided in early-stage HER2 positive breast cancer and in hormone receptor positive/ HER2 negative disease. A short course of anthracycline-based chemotherapy is still used in triple negative breast cancer in the neoadjuvant setting (prior to surgery). The integration of novel therapies such as antibody-drug conjugates will improve the efficacy and safety of chemotherapy. In the meantime, Oncologists should coordinate with Cardiologists and other healthcare providers to ensure appropriate monitoring of heart function in breast cancer survivors long term, especially those diagnosed before age 65.

View the video attached to the post.
Source: Francisco J. Esteva/LinkedIn