Cardiac magnetic resonance assessment of the effect of anthracycline-based chemotherapy on cardiac structure and function in breast cancer patients

Purpose: To use cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging to investigate the effect of anthracycline-based chemotherapy on cardiac structure and function in breast cancer patients. Methods: A total of 20 breast cancer patients who received treatment at Shandong Cancer Hospital Affiliated to Shandong First Medical University, Jinan, Shandong, China between October 2021 and October 2022 were included in this study. The patients underwent surgical treatment and also received anthracycline-based chemotherapy after surgery. Before chemotherapy, and at 3 months and 6 months after chemotherapy, CMR examinations were performed on all the participants. Cardiac function parameters, viz, left ventricular end-diastolic volume (LVEDV), left ventricular end-systolic volume (LVESV), and left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), were measured and compared at different time points. Results: There were no significant differences in LVEF, LVEDV, and LVESV among different time points (p > 0.05). Similarly, there were no significant differences in RS, CS, LS, SRSR, SCSR, SLSR, DCSR, and DLSR among the different time points (p > 0.05). However, diastolic radial strain rate (DRSR) level at 6 months after treatment was significantly lower than the corresponding values before treatment and at 3 months post-treatment (p > 0.05), indicating a progressive decrease in DRSR over time. Conclusion: Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging provides a valuable assessment of myocardial damage in breast cancer patients following anthracycline-based chemotherapy, while DRSR may serve as a sensitive parameter for early detection of myocardial injury using CMR. However, an improved study protocol should enhance the applicability of the approach.