Most patients who develop heart problems because of breast cancer treatment may not need to take heart medication for the rest of their lives. That possibility has emerged in a new study. Experts say the findings are highly encouraging for the thousands of patients whose hearts are damaged by life-saving cancer treatment. The report is from the Daily Mail Online. It says certain breast cancer treatments can weaken heart function. In such cases, medication is given to protect the heart. In the new study, funded by the British Heart Foundation, 90 women from four hospitals took part. These women’s heart function had returned to normal after a specific type of breast cancer treatment. Most participants were in their 40s and 50s. Because of fears that heart function could decline again, they had generally been advised to take heart medication for life. However, researchers found that among women who stopped taking the medication, 98 percent showed no change in heart function after one year. Only one woman developed a problem with her heart’s pumping capacity. Women who stopped the medication also reported improved quality of life.
Professor Charlotte Manisty, head of the clinical cardiovascular science department at University College London, led the study. It was published in the journal Heart. She said modern breast cancer treatment is a remarkable medical success story. But because of the heart damage these drugs can cause, recovering patients and their doctors face difficult decisions about heart-health treatment. She further said their study provides evidence for the first time that, for patients whose heart function has recovered, medication to prevent heart failure can be safely stopped under close monitoring. In her words, they hope the findings will encourage patients and their doctors, and offer hope for a future free of treatment.
Lucy Shepherd, a resident of Hertfordshire, also took part in the study. In her words, after taking part in the study, she feels stronger and has gained the confidence to take on new challenges. Shepherd was diagnosed with breast cancer after age 33. Tests done during treatment revealed her heart function had declined. She was then given heart medication before starting another phase of cancer treatment. Shepherd, now 39, said returning to normal life after finishing cancer treatment was difficult, because no one could tell her for certain whether she should stop or continue the heart medication. She said taking part in the study, and getting the chance to stop the heart medication, has undoubtedly improved her life. She said she is still on hormone therapy, but no longer lives with the same fear as before. It has helped her trust her own body again. Women who took part in the study will be monitored for the next five years to track their heart health.
Dr Sonya Babu-Narayan of the British Heart Foundation said the findings will be highly encouraging for thousands of breast cancer survivors. The results offer hope that many women, once their hearts have recovered, may be able to safely stop taking medication. She further said more research is needed, and these women will be monitored over a longer period. But even so, she said, these findings are undoubtedly good news for breast cancer survivors.