title: Tissue-Doppler assessment of cardiac left ventricular function during short-term adjuvant epirubicin therapy for breast cancer.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  It has been hypothesized that the extent of acute anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity reflects the risk for late development of heart failure. The aim of this study was to examine if short-term changes in cardiac function can be detected even after low-dose adjuvant epirubicin therapy for breast cancer when using Doppler tissue imaging of longitudinal left ventricular function.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighty consecutive women in good cardiopulmonary health scheduled to undergo adjuvant treatment for breast cancer were included. They were examined using echocardiography and Doppler tissue imaging before and after three treatment series of epirubicin (mean cumulative dose, 273.7 ± 46.6 mg/m(2); median time interval, 9 weeks; range, 47-113 days).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Apart from a marginal reduction in E/A ratio, none of the conventional Doppler echocardiographic or Doppler tissue imaging indices of systolic and diastolic function were affected during epirubicin treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In contrast to several previous studies using tissue Doppler and conventional echocardiography, this study did not document relevant short-term effects of low-dose epirubicin treatment on heart function.
authors.affiliation: Herlev Hospital, Copenhagen University Hospital, Copenhagen, Denmark. jonmichaelappel@gmail.com
authors.forename: Jon M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Appel
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Sogaard
authors.forename: Christiane E
authors.initials: CE
authors.lastname: Mortensen
authors.forename: Knud
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Skagen
authors.forename: Dorte L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Nielsen
mesh_terms: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000009:adverse effects; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000188:drug therapy*; D017024:Chemotherapy, Adjuvant / Q000009:adverse effects; D015251:Epirubicin / Q000009:adverse effects* / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014463:Ultrasonography; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*
chemical_list: D000903:Antibiotics, Antineoplastic; D015251:Epirubicin