Breast Cancer Long-term Outcomes on Cardiac Functioning: a Longitudinal Study

Rationale: In addition to surgery, effective breast cancer (BC) treatment typically requires chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or both. However, it is still unclear whether patients with BC are at increased risk of long-term cardiac dysfunction due to the adverse effects of these therapies. In a cross-sectional study in primary care, a comparison on cardiac dysfunction between 350 BC survivors and 350 age- and general practitioner (GP)- matched controls without cancer was made. In that study, BC survivors were at increased risk of mild systolic cardiac dysfunction (left ventricle ejection fraction (LVEF)\< 54%). By contrast, there was no significant difference in an LVEF \< 50% or in diastolic dysfunction. To date it remains uncertain whether the mild or subclinical dysfunction we observed predicts further cardiac deterioration. Consequently, the translation of these results into guidelines fo