Publications by authors named "Boerman L"
Background: Fatigue is the most common and persistent symptom among women in the first five years after a breast cancer diagnosis. However, long-term prevalence of fatigue, among breast cancer survivors, needs further investigation.
Aim: To compare fatigue experienced by long-term breast cancer survivors with that in a reference population and to evaluate the determinants of that fatigue.
Purpose: Various long-term symptoms can manifest after breast cancer treatment, but we wanted to clarify whether these are more frequent among long-term breast cancer survivors than matched controls and if they are associated with certain diagnoses.
Methods: This was a cross-sectional, population-based study of 350 breast cancer survivors treated with chemo- and/or radiotherapy ≥5 years (median 10) after diagnosis and 350 women without cancer matched by age and primary care physician. All women completed a questionnaire enquiring about symptoms, underwent echocardiography to assess the left ventricle ejection fraction, and completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.
Article Synopsis
- Chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer can lead to long-term cardiotoxicity, with the underlying mechanisms not fully understood.
- A study assessed 91 biomarkers in 688 participants, comparing 342 breast cancer survivors (some treated with both chemotherapy and radiotherapy) to matched controls, revealing 19 elevated biomarkers in those treated with chemotherapy.
- The findings indicate that breast cancer survivors who received chemotherapy exhibit a unique biomarker profile linked to mild cardiac dysfunction, characterized by ongoing inflammation and changes in collagen metabolism, even 10 years post-treatment.
Introduction: Breast cancer survivors often experience psychological distress shortly after diagnosis. Long-term psychological effects, however, have not been clearly demonstrated.
Methods: This cross-sectional cohort study included 350 breast cancer survivors and 350 age-matched and general-practitioner-matched women.
Purpose: The main purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that incidental cardiac irradiation is associated with changes in cardiac function in breast cancer (BC) survivors treated with radiation therapy (RT).
Methods And Materials: We conducted a cross-sectional study consisting of 109 BC survivors treated with RT between 2005 and 2011. The endpoint was cardiac function, assessed by echocardiography.
Background: Chemotherapy and radiotherapy for breast cancer may lead to cardiac dysfunction, but the prevalence of long-term echocardiographic evidence of cardiac dysfunction is unknown among survivors.
Methods: In a cross-sectional study in primary care, we included 350 women who survived breast cancer for at least 5 years after diagnosis (treated with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy) and 350 matched women (age and primary care physician). The primary outcome was cardiac dysfunction, defined as a left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) < 54% and an age-corrected decreased left ventricular (LV) diastolic function.
Purpose: Whereas earlier research focused on specific patient groups, this study assessed the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in an unselected population curatively treated for breast cancer (BC), compared with an age-matched random sample of controls.
Methods: Risks were determined in BC survivors and controls. CVD was divided into three categories: congestive heart failure, vascular cardiac diseases, and "other" cardiac diseases.