Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2021 Dec;49(12):3000605211053755.
doi: 10.1177/03000605211053755.

Cardiotoxicity of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1): a single-center experience

Aynur Acibuca  1 , Ahmet Sezer  2 , Mustafa Yilmaz  1 , Ahmet Taner Sumbul  2 , Senol Demircan  1 , Ibrahim Haldun Muderrisoglu  1 , Ozgur Ozyilkan  2
Affiliations

Cardiotoxicity of trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1): a single-center experience

Aynur Acibuca et al. J Int Med Res. 2021 Dec.

Abstract

Objective: New anti-cancer drugs promise to increased survival benefits and reduce adverse events. Trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) is a novel anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 agent that has shown minimal cardiotoxicity in clinical trials. However, data on real-life outcomes are required.

Methods: A retrospective review of our center's medical records was performed, including female patients aged ≥18 years with a diagnosis of metastatic breast cancer who were treated with T-DM1. Descriptive statistics were used to investigate clinical features that could increase the risk of cardiotoxicity. Cardiotoxicity was determined by comparing pre and post-T-DM1 echocardiogram results and was defined as a decrease in the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) >10% to below 55%.

Results: Data from 41 female patients with a mean age of 52 ± 11.5 years were evaluated. A significant LVEF decrease (from 59% to 33%) was observed in one patient during T-DM1 treatment. Further investigation showed that this decrease was due to underlying coronary artery disease, and LVEF recovered to the baseline value after coronary revascularization.

Conclusion: T-DM1 seems to be safe in terms of cardiotoxicity. Real-life data with a larger sample size are still needed to confirm the cardiac safety of T-DM1.

Keywords: Breast cancer; cardiotoxicity; echocardiogram; left ventricular ejection fraction; metastatic breast cancer; trastuzumab emtansine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of conflicting interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Flow diagram for patient enrollment.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Curigliano G, Cardinale D, Suter T, et al.. Cardiovascular toxicity induced by chemotherapy, targeted agents and radiotherapy: ESMO clinical practice guidelines. Ann Oncol 2012; 23(Suppl 7): vii155–166. - PubMed
    1. Suter TM, Procter M, van Veldhuisen DJ, et al.. Trastuzumab-associated cardiac adverse effects in the herceptin adjuvant trial. J Clin Oncol 2007; 25: 3859–3865. - PubMed
    1. Ewer MS, Vooletich MT, Durand JB, et al.. Reversibility of trastuzumab-related cardiotoxicity: new insights based on clinical course and response to medical treatment. J Clin Oncol 2005; 23: 7820–7826. - PubMed
    1. Ewer MS andLippman SM.. Type II chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction: time to recognize a new entity. J Clin Oncol 2005; 23: 2900–2902. - PubMed
    1. Yarden Y. The EGFR family and its ligands in human cancer. Signalling mechanisms and therapeutic opportunities. Eur J Cancer 2001; 37(Suppl 4): S3–S8. - PubMed