Long-Term Cardiac Follow-Up in Relapse-Free Patients After Six Courses of Fluorouracil, Epirubicin, and Cyclophosphamide, With Either 50 or 100 mg of Epirubicin, As Adjuvant Therapy for Node-Positive Breast Cancer: French Adjuvant Study Group

Publisher Website
Google Scholar
Abstract
Purpose To evaluate long-term cardiac function in patients without disease who had received six cycles of fluorouracil 500 mg/m2, epirubicin 50 mg/m2, and cyclophosphamide 500 mg/m2 (FEC 50) or the same regimen with epirubicin 100 mg/m2 (FEC 100) as adjuvant chemotherapy for node-positive breast cancer in the French Adjuvant Study Group–05 trial. Patients and Methods One hundred fifty patients (FEC 50, n = 65; FEC 100, n = 85) who were without disease and who gave their informed consent were enrolled for long-term cardiac assessment. The assessment included cardiac events occurring after the end of chemotherapy, vital signs, concomitant disease, ECG, isotopic left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), and echographic parameters. Abnormal files were blindly reviewed by cardiologists and oncologists. Results The median follow-up time was 102 months. After FEC 100, LVEF was less than 50% in five patients (radioisotopic method), and two patients experienced congestive heart failure (CHF) that was possibly rel...