Adriamycin?
I have recently been diagnosed with atrial fibrillation (afib). I don't have any of the usual causes: high blood pressure, high cholesterol levels, diabetes or high blood sugar, sleep apnea, obesity, and smoking. There is a genetic dispensation and my mother had afib but not until she was 90 and she had been treated for high blood pressure and sky-high cholesterol for years.
It makes me wonder if adriamycin which I had 8 times as part of rchop 11 years ago, had a hand in it. My cardiologist says is likely.
In fact, I just learned that adriamycin (aka doxorubicin) is no longer used in the US because of heart toxicity.
But I remain in remission from lymphoma and this heart condition is treatable.
Happy Fall!
Rocquie
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Hi Rocquie - its good to hear from you and that you are doing well despite the atrial fibrillation. I think of you every time I log on here. I still get confused over this alphabet soup of cancer chemo drugs. Unless I am mistaken Adriamycin is just another brand name for the Cytoxin I had. My last chemo was Fludarabine, Cytoxin and Rituxan. That was 5 years ago. I was told that in some patients the side effects show up around the 10 year mark. I use my Apple watch to check for atrial fibrillation and see a cardiologist for 6-month checkups. I was warned that fibrillation would be one potential side effects to watch for. Fortunately I am still in remission and no signs yet of atrial fibrillation. Wish I had more helpful info. Take care.
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Sorry to hear of this. Genetic pre-disposition, exacerbated by "red devil" is probably to blame. I had Adriamycin in CHOEP and then again in GVD. No heart issues so far, almost 15 years later. It is still very much in use, but three new drugs have recently been approved for use against DLBCL. CHOP is on its way out, but it has not gone yet.
The C-vax has been associated with cardio issues, so take special note of your health when getting boosted.
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Yes the covid vaccines, in my non-professional opinion, are a risky proposition for some but not all. I had the 1st three shots but do not intend to take anymore. Former workmate of mine’s young (6 years old) son had an inflamed heart after an early injection. He is fine now but spent days in the hospital. So far I have avoided having covid. How does this relate to lymphoma? We lymphoma patients have weakened immune systems and should be careful. Doctors are trained to automatically recommend it. Whatever we decide covid is definitely back. My grand nephew, age 12 and fully vaccinated, had it recently. It was mild and he thought he was having an allergic reaction to pollen. He tested positive for COVID despite the vaccines but it was very mild. His sister and parents did not catch it or if they did it was asymptomatic. My neighbor recently went to a business meeting in Orlando with 10 other people. She had all the available shots. She said all 10 attendees had tested positive for covid with some having been vaccinated and some not. They all described it as “ I have had worse colds”. So its a personal choice whether to get the vaccine. Since I avoid crowds I plan to not get it. Depending on their personal situations others may want it. I make no recommendation.
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Medical science traditionally responds extremely cautiously and slowly to innovations. CHOP is so well ensconced in the hematological mindset that it will take decades to completely replace it. This, despite the fact that it is horribly toxic (although less than the cancer) and not all that efficient or effective in so many cases. There is money in it and money in treating it side effects. IIRC, CHOP predates the discovery of T-Lymphocytes, but is all they had to combat this new category of cancer. For this reason, those of us with skin in the game are well advised to enter clinical trials. The various new anti-DLBCL agents are the direct result of clinical trial results being "fast tracked" to approval.
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Rocquie that is exactly why I never knowlingly use Google or Google products. They are so pervasive its hard to avoid them. Their goal is to rule the world. When a person does a Google search you only see what someone has paid Google to show you. Google is the cancer of computers. It moves in and takes over. I even replaced my Nest thermostat when Google bought that company. They are everywhere!
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Roc,
It is good to hear from you again, despite the particulars of your heart problems.
As Po mentioned, Adriamycin is still in routine use in the US. It is listed at The Cleveland Clinic's chemocare.com, and is also on the WHO's List of Critical Medicines.
I got pretty severe shortness of breath during my time on ABVD. My doc had a CT done during my half-year on chemo, and said that the issue was not caused by the Rubex or the Bleomycin. My severe breathing problems continued after chemo ended, and my onc then had a heart function ultrasound done. My 'ejection fraction' (a number-designator for how efficient the heart is during the test) was close to perfect, so Adriamycin-induced congestive heart failure was ruled out.
I was later sent to a pulmonologist who did an assortment of tests. He agreed that my s. o. breath was not chemo induced, but rather because of extensive lung fibrosis caused by chest trauma that I suffered decades earlier. He also said that my severe, continuous cough was caused by REFLUX/stomach acids, which he added is one of the most common causes of lung toxicity.
Now, ten years out, my breathing problems continue, although control of the reflux has ended my coughing.
No doubt you know that Adriamycin causes C.H.F in around 4% of patients, and onset can be delayed as long as ten years or more. It usually presents in a particular manner somewhat specific to the drug, however, causing a swelling of all four chambers of the heart. Your cardiologist should be able to examine your particulars and clinically determine the cause, with little or no guessing necessary.
You may want to ask the doc to run an ejection Fraction ultrasound.
Good luck ! My breathing difficulties are permanent, but we have made progress in reducing symptoms by controlling stomach acids, and at least we ruled out cardiac causality; my issues are in the lungs.
max
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Hi Max, My heart is diagnosed as afib. I do not have heart failure. Although afib can eventually lead to it if not controlled. I have had cardio version twice (where they shock the heart back into rhythm). I stayed in rhythm about a week each time. In a couple weeks, I will be having a cardiac ablation which should get me back into rhythm permanently.
My cardiologist is also an electrophysiologist, so I feel confident in his care for me.
Cheers,
Rocquie
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my post was not accurate. My last chemo (2018) was fludara, adriamycin, cytoxan. I got confused or careless when I wrote the message. Adriamycin and cytoxan are definitely different. But I was definitely warned about potential heart issues. After that warning I cancelled the chemo after the 4th course and switched to Duke blood cancer center. So far it looks like that was a good decision. The last CT at Duke was in June and it showed no active lymphoma but they noted “evidence of treated lymphoma”. That is commonly called scar tissue. My next appointment is in December
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Goodness, I am so sorry that is happening to you.
My mother was offered adriamyacin for her breast cancer treatment, and she turned it down when we learned about the side effects to the heart. I did not know it was no longer used in the US. A quick google search tells me that generic forms are still used tho.
Best of luck in your future. :)
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