“Treatments can lead to cardiovascular complications”

“Breast cancer and heart health are closer than we imagine.” On the occasion of Pink October, the Heart and Research Foundation and Dr Damien Legallois wish to raise awareness among the general public of a little-known aspect of the fight against breast cancer: cardiovascular risks.

Breast cancer: “treatments can cause serious side effects”

Each year in France, more than 61,000 new cases of breast cancer are diagnosed. “Thanks to therapeutic advances, notably the use of anthracyclines and targeted therapies such as anti-HER2, the five-year survival rate for breast cancer now exceeds 87%,” explains Dr Damien Legallois, cardiologist at Caen University Hospital. “However, these treatments can cause serious side effects, particularly cardiovascular complications,” he emphasizes. “These complications include heart failure, arrhythmia and even myocardial infarction,” he specifies.

“The proportion of patients suffering from cardiotoxicity after one year of treatment with anthracyclines and anti-HER2 varies between 1 and 17%”, also indicates Dr Damien Legallois. “Women who have survived breast cancer have a two to six times higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease than the general population. he reveals.

Cancer be you: a new research specialty is developing

To enable women with breast cancer to have the best possible treatment without risk to their heart, a new research specialty is developing: cardio-oncology. “Its mission is to better identify patients at risk of developing cardiotoxicity linked to cancer treatments, in order to take the necessary precautions to allow them to have the best possible treatment against cancer while minimizing the risk of cardiac complications,” details the Heart and Research Foundation.

With this in mind, Dr Damien Legallois is currently leading a project called “ML-CARDIOTOX”. “Funded by the Heart and Research Foundation, this is a pioneering study aimed at predicting the risks of cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients using artificial intelligence. explains the specialist. “The ML-CARDIOTOX project could provide practitioners with concrete tools to anticipate cardiac risks and better protect patients. The stakes are high: it is not only a question of improving survival, but also of preserving quality of life by minimizing complications linked to treatments. concludes the cardiologist.