The breast cancer increases the risk of heart disease

zlikovec/epictura

Published the 02.02.2018 at 19: 00

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Keywords :

cancer seinmaladie cardiovascular

Cardiovascular diseases are one of the leading causes of mortality in the world. Risk factors were identified : poor diet, tobacco use, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, or sedentary lifestyle. But other factors may increase the risk of developing this type of pathology, including cancer treatment.
The American Heart Association has published a study on this subject : some of the treatments for breast cancer may increase the risk of heart disease. This is the first time that this association has published a report on this subject.

Risk of weakening heart

Women who survive breast cancer have a higher risk of dying from a cardiovascular disease than a recurrence of their cancer. This applies in particular to women over the age of 65. The treatments can cause a weakening of the heart muscle, in the image of therapies that target cancers of the breast HER-2 positive, a particular type of cancer which is prescribe an anti-HER-2. If doctors are seeing a the beginning of heart failure, it is necessary to monitor and adjust the treatment to prevent the development of heart failure is permanent.

Better inform patients

The radiation itself can damage arteries, the anthracyclines can cause heart rhythm disorders and certain treatments such as anti-metabolites can create spasms of the arteries of the heart and lead to heart attacks (infarction).

Laxmi Mehta led the group that published this research. For him, these findings should not scare the patient, but on the contrary, help them to make more informed choices : “Any patient who is following a treatment with anti-cancer, she had heart problems earlier or not, must know that the treatments have any effects on his heart.” Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women. In 2015, more than 54 000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed.