Aim: To explore the incidence of subclinical cardiotoxicity in women treated with adjuvant trastuzumab in the early breast cancer setting using cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (cMRI).
Methods: The cardiac function and myocardial tissue characteristics of 25 women who had completed adjuvant trastuzumab therapy greater than 6 months previously was evaluated using MRI and comparing this with symptoms and routine echocardiography.
Results: Evidence of myocardial tissue damage was seen in two women in the absence of functional change or previous cardiac symptoms.
Conclusion: Tissue characterization using cMRI may provide a useful tool in defining trastuzumab induced cardiotoxicity.
© 2012 Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.