Use of echocardiography to monitor myocardial damage during anthracycline chemotherapy

Background Anthracycline-related cardiotoxicity has a poor prognosis; therefore, early detection of any change in LV function is critical. Objective The aim of this study was to evaluate the two-dimensional speckle tracking technique for the early detection of cardiac toxicity after low-dose anthracycline chemotherapy in the Chinese population. Methods Forty breast cancer patients were treated by chemotherapy using anthracycline for 4-6 cycles. Patients were examined by echocardiography before chemotherapy (T0) and after the second (T2), fourth (T4), and sixth (T6) cycle. LV ejection fraction (LVEF), LV global longitudinal strain (GLS) and endocardium, mid-myocardium, and epicardium global longitudinal strain (GLS-Endo, GLS-Mid, and GLS-Epi). Additionally, global circumferential strain (GCS), RV global longitudinal strain (RVGLS), and LA global longitudinal strain (LAGLS) were evaluated. Results Left ventricular ejection fraction was significantly reduced at T4 (P < 0.05). Compared with T0, GLS, GLS-Endo, GLS-Mid, and GLS-Epi were significantly reduced at T2, T4, and T6 (P < 0.05 for all), the apical septum wall (AS) was also reduced significantly at T2 (P < 0.05), and the apical anterior wall (AA) and the basal anterior wall (BA) longitudinal strains were significantly reduced at T4 (P < 0.05). GCS, RVGLS, and LAGLS were not significantly changed after treatment (P > 0.05). Conclusions LV stratified strains and strain of the segments supplied by the left anterior descending coronary artery are more sensitive to the cardiac toxicity of anthracycline.