Statins may protect the heart from chemotherapy treatment of early
breast cancer

Date:
January 6, 2021
Source:
American Heart Association
Summary:
Women who take statins, the common cholesterol-lowering medication,
during chemotherapy with anthracyclines for early-stage breast
cancer are half as likely to require emergency department visits or
hospitalization for heart failure in the 5 years after chemotherapy.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Statins, common cholesterol-lowering medications, may protect women's
hearts from damage caused during chemotherapy for early-stage breast
cancer, according to new research published today in the Journal of
the American Heart Association, an open access journal of the American
Heart Association.


==========================================================================
"Two types of cancer medications, anthracyclines and trastuzumab,
are effective treatments for many women with breast cancer, however,
the risk of heart muscle damage has limited their use, particularly in
women who are at higher risk for heart problems because of their age
or other medical issues," said Husam Abdel- Qadir, M.D., Ph.D., lead
author of the study, assistant professor of medicine at the University
of Toronto's Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation, and
a cardiologist at Women's College Hospital and the Peter Munk Cardiac
Centre, part of the University Health Network in Toronto.

"The mechanisms for these medications are essential to kill breast cancer cells, however, these processes can also damage the cells of the heart
muscle, leading to weakening of the heart," he said.

Previous small studies have suggested that women taking statins may
have less heart muscle damage from these types of chemotherapy. The
exact mechanisms of how statins protect against the cardiac cell damage
remains unknown. It is believed that statins have antioxidative and anti-inflammatory actions.

For the current study, researchers used several administrative health
databases in Ontario, Canada, to review the occurrence of heart failure
in women ages 66 and older who received anthracyclines or trastuzumab for
newly diagnosed early- stage breast cancer between 2007 and 2017. Each
woman already taking statins was matched with a peer who was not taking
statins as well as a variety of medical and social background factors. The
two groups were compared to understand how many required hospitalizations
or an emergency room visit for heart failure within the five years after chemotherapy. None had previously been diagnosed with heart failure.

Researchers found: In the 666 pairs of women (median age 69) treated with anthracyclines, those taking statins were 55% less likely to be treated
at the hospital for heart failure (1.2% vs. 2.9%). In the 390 pairs of
women (median age 71) treated with trastuzumab, those taking statins were
54% less likely to be treated at the hospital for heart failure (2.7%
vs. 3.7%), a trend that did not reach statistical significance. "Our
findings support the idea that statins may be a potential intervention
for preventing heart failure in patients receiving chemotherapy with anthracyclines and potentially trastuzumab," Abdel-Qadir said.

This observational study found an association but cannot conclude that
there is a cause-and-effect relationship between taking statins and a
lower risk of heart failure.

"This study does not conclusively prove statins are protective,"
Abdel-Qadir said. "However, this study builds on the body of evidence suggesting that they may have benefits. For women with breast cancer who
meet established indications for taking a statin, they should ideally
continue taking it throughout their chemotherapy treatment. Women who do
not have an indication for a statin should ask their health care team
if they can join a clinical trial studying the benefits of statins in protecting against heart muscle damage during chemotherapy. Otherwise,
they should focus on measures to optimize their cardiovascular health
before, during and after chemotherapy." Findings from this study
in older women may not be generalizable to younger women or to those
at low cardiovascular risk who do not meet current indications for a
statin. Because the populations are similar in terms of demographics,
these results from Canada are likely generalizable to women in the United States. Other limitations include that the study is a retrospective
analysis that relied on administrative data, and the researchers could
not account for potentially important factors that were not available, including the heart's pumping ability and heart biomarkers.


========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by American_Heart_Association. Note:
Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Husam Abdel‐Qadir, David Bobrowski, Limei Zhou, Peter
C. Austin,
Oscar Calvillo‐Argu"elles, Eitan Amir, Douglas S. Lee,
Paaladinesh Thavendiranathan. Statin Exposure and Risk of Heart
Failure After Anthracycline‐ or Trastuzumab‐Based
Chemotherapy for Early Breast Cancer: A Propensity
Score‒Matched Cohort Study. Journal of the American Heart
Association, 2021; DOI: 10.1161/JAHA.119.018393 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/01/210106082803.htm

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