Early Change in Area Strain Detected by 3D Speckle Tracking Is Associated With Subsequent Cardiotoxicity in Patients Treated With Low Doses of Anthracyclines.

Objective: To evaluate the prognostic impact of the parameters of myocardial deformation using three-dimensional speckle tracking echocardiography (3DSTE) in patients with breast cancer who underwent chemotherapy with low doses of anthracyclines.

Background: Chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity has an important prognostic impact on cancer survivors. Three-dimensional STE has revealed more consistent data than two-dimensional techniques and may represent a more accurate tool in the evaluation of myocardial function in patients who underwent chemotherapy.

Methods: We evaluated patients with breast cancer who were treated with anthracyclines (associated or not with trastuzumab) in five stages: baseline, after cumulative doses of 120 and 240 mg/m of doxorubicin, and then, after 6 months and at least 1 year after anthracyclines. Ultrasensitive troponin I (US-TnI) and a standard echocardiography study were performed at each stage. We analyzed left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by Simpson's method, two-dimensional speckle tracking (2DSTE) with longitudinal and radial strain values, and 3DSTE with longitudinal, radial, and circumferential strain as well as twist, torsion, rotation, and three-dimensional global area strain (3DGAS). Cardiotoxicity was defined as a decrease in LVEF by more than 10 percentage points to a value lower than 53%.

Results: We evaluated 51 female patients who were aged 50.6 ± 11 years. After the cumulative dose of 240 mg/m of doxorubicin, US-TnI was increased (>34 pg/ml) in 21 patients (45%, > 0.001), LVEF remained unchanged ( = 0.178), while 2DSTE longitudinal strain was decreased (from -17.8% to -17.1%, < 0.001) and 3DSTE detected changes in longitudinal, radial, circumferential, and area strain. After a lower cumulative dose of doxorubicin (120 mg/m), 3DGAS ( < 0.001) was the only parameter that was changed. In the follow-up, 7 (13%) patients presented a decrease in LVEF. Three-dimensional GAS early changed to abnormal values was the only variable associated with a subsequent decrease in LVEF (definitive cardiotoxicity).

Conclusion: In patients with breast cancer, 3DSTE detected early changes in area strain after very low doses of doxorubicin. The 3DGAS early changed to abnormal values was associated with a subsequent decrease in LVEF, representing a promising technique to predict chemotherapy-induced cardiomyopathy.