Adriamycin and Heart Damage

pat26a said:

adriamycin toxicity
Just want to make others aware of this. My mom finished treatment 2 months ago (NHL). The other night she was taken to er in congestive heart failure. While in er they did 2 ekgs and an echo. BOTH ekgs were normal, but the echo showed significant weakness of the heart. Please don't assume that normal ekgs mean that everything is ok. If you are symtomatic, request further testing. Also, her echo from before treatment was normal, pretty much proving the heart damage was caused by adriamycin used in chemotherapy. Wish you brave survivors all the best.

This just happened to me after being treated for breast cancer 9 years ago and given Adriamycin as one of my chemo drugs the cancer that I thought was gone has matastisized to my bones. Now to cap it off I had to go to the ER because of swollen ankles and shortness of breath. They didn’t really find anything in the hospital except one blood test that Indicated I might have the beginnings of heart failure but they didn’t reccommend I follow up with a cardiologist. Thank God a woman who is the Director of a cancer org. Here refferred me to a great cardiologist who gave me a test called a Muga Scan. He had the machine. Some places don’t but you need that test. He said I had heart failure courtesy of the Adriamycin I took 9 years ago.  He gave mea beta blocker to slow down my heart but has left me incredibly fatigued. Can’t even walk across a parking lot without getting short of breath.  Tomorrow I haveanother appointment to talk about other options that might help me feel less fatigued. It’s definitely a bummer that the chemo did this. I highly recommend your mother get a really good cardiologist and a Muga Scan. Good luck. Let me know how it goes. I send prayers your way. 

Grieving Husband said:

Adriamycim use in large doses causes heart damage.

My wife was given large doses of Adriamycin back in 1993 and did survive but with long term side effects. Not knowing why she had shortness of breath, coughing and weakness for most of the 20 years she survived. She did get cured of breast cancer on the positive side but other drugs and treatment were known to do the same. Her quality of life was poor while still being extended. Knowing all this I'm conflicted with this. I did get to be with my loving wife for a long time but with greatly reduced ability to enjoy each day. I'm sorry more options were not presented and explored before such a damaging treatment was used. She had a full mastectomy with limp node removals. Not a word was ever said about heart damage when the treatment was presented and used. Now after it was too late we were told 3 weeks ago and she lost her battle 05/28/2015 after only 3 weeks of knowing she was loosing her battle. I'm happy I had her for so long but angrey we were not fully informed.

  

  

I do think decisions have to be made quickly when dx'ed.  We do what we think is best not thinking of long term damage.  There have been many issues reported after treatments that go unanswered.  It is a rough road to travel.  I am so sorry for you loss.  I look at it as I have gotten six years I would not of had if I had chosen not to do chemo/radiation.  No much choice in the matter, that is for sure.