Risk of cardiovascular adverse events from trastuzumab (Herceptin(®)) in elderly persons with breast cancer: a population-based study.

ABSTRACT: Randomized controlled trials have reported a 4-5 times increased risk of heart failure (HF) in breast cancer patients receiving trastuzumab (Herceptin (®) ) compared to patients who do not receive trastuzumab. However, data regarding the cardiac effects of trastuzumab on elderly patients treated in general practice remain very limited. Using the US surveillance, epidemiology, and end results (SEER)-Medicare database, we conducted a retrospective cohort study on the cardiac effects of trastuzumab use in all incident breast cancer patients diagnosed from 1998 to 2007 who were 66 years and older, had no prior recent claims for cardiomyopathy (CM) or HF, and were followed through 2009. We defined our outcome as the first CM/HF event after diagnosis. We performed Cox-proportional hazard models

SUBMITTER: Tsai HT 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4133778 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature