ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: In the present study, we investigated the incidence of cardiotoxicity within 5 years of trastuzumab treatment and evaluated potential risk factors in clinical practice. METHODS: The study cohort included 415 patients diagnosed with early breast cancer (EBC). Cardiotoxicity incidence was evaluated in patients receiving trastuzumab and those who did not. Multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals of potential risk factors for trastuzumab-related cardiotoxicity after appropriate adjustments. RESULTS: Incidence of cardiotoxicity in patients treated with trastuzumab was significantly higher than that in controls (23.7% vs. 10.8%, p<0.001). This result was adjusted for factors that might increase the risk of cardiotoxicity, such as history of coronary artery diseases or the use of anthracyclines for more than four cycles. CONCLUSION: Our findings indicated that treatment with trastuzumab was strongly associated with cardiotoxicity in EBC patients.