Women treated with Herceptin (trastuzumab) in combination with chemotherapy for early stage breast cancer showed that after five years the risk of congestive heart failure did not increase with time.
The findings of the National Surgical Adjuvant Breast and Bowel Project (NSABP) were presented at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in Chicago last week.
Heart damage occurs in around 5 percent of patients treated with Herceptin. It is the most significant side effect; women with existing heart conditions cannot take the drug. The study showed that women were either susceptible to heart problems or they weren't. The risk of long-term problems is the same as the risk that is there from the beginning.
