Docs warn of heart risk from some breast cancer therapies

Save your life but harm your heart? Health experts are sounding a warning as potential side effects of a growing number of breast cancer treatments come to light.

In its first statement on the topic, the American Heart Association on Thursday said women should consider carefully the risks and benefits of any therapies that may hurt hearts. Not all treatments carry these risks, and there may be ways to minimize or avoid some.

“We want patients to get the best treatment for their breast cancer,” said Dr. Laxmi Mehta, a women’s heart health expert at Ohio State University who led the panel that wrote the statement. “Everyone should have a conversation with their doctor about what are the side effects.”

There are more than three million breast cancer survivors and nearly 48 million women with heart disease in the United States.

“Most people with breast cancer fear death from breast cancer. Even after they survive that, they still fear it,” but heart disease is more likely to kill them, especially after age 65, Mehta said.

Some treatments for other types of cancer may pose heart risks, but they are growing more common for breast cancer patients and the statement addressed only that form of the disease.

Q: What are the problems and which treatments can cause them?

A: Side effects can include abnormal rhythms, valve problems or heart failure, where the heart slowly weakens and can’t pump effectively. Symptoms may not appear until long after treatment ends. Herceptin and similar drugs for a specific type of breast cancer can cause heart failure. Sometimes it’s temporary and goes away if treatment is stopped, but it can be permanent.

Radiation can affect arteries and spur narrowing or blockages.