Statins May Protect Chemotherapy-induced Cardiac Damage by Angela Mohan on January 8, 2021 at 12:16 PM
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.
January 5, 2021
Terry Matthews/Alamy; Everyday Health
Statins may have protective benefits for the heart in women undergoing chemotherapy treatment for early breast cancer, new research suggests.
Women on the cholesterol-lowering medications were significantly less likely to visit the emergency room or to be hospitalized from heart failure when on certain chemotherapy drugs than their counterparts who were not taking statins. The results were published in January 2021 in the
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The study looked at anthracyclines and trastuzumab, two types of cancer medications commonly used to treat breast cancer. While these medications are effective at killing cancer cells, they can also damage the cells of the heart muscle, leading to a weakening of the heart and increasing the risk of heart failure.
Taking statins ‘may protect heart from damage during breast cancer treatment’
Updated: 06/01/2021, 10:52 am
(Rui Vieira/PA)
Statins – a type of medication used to lower cholesterol – may protect women’s hearts from damage while they undergo treatment for early-stage breast cancer, a study suggests.
Chemotherapies with anthracycline, as well as the targeted cancer medicine trastuzumab, are commonly used to treat breast cancer but can be toxic to the heart.
Researchers in Canada have found that taking statins may protect against the cardiac cell damage but are yet to figure out how they work.
Husam Abdel-Qadir, assistant professor of medicine at the University of Toronto’s Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation in Canada, said: “Two types of cancer medications, anthracyclines and trastuzumab, are effective treatments for many women with breast cancer.
Cholesterol-lowering drugs may protect women s hearts from damage caused during chemotherapy
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
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