Polskie Archiwum Medycyny Wewnętrznej
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Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. · Apr 2022
Adjuvant combined therapy with trastuzumab in patients with HER2-positive breast cancer and cardiac alterations: implications for optimal cardio-oncology care.
Recently, the prognosis of patients with HER2‑positive breast cancer (BC) has improved significantly owing to the use of combined treatment modalities. However, systemic treatment is as-sociated with increased risk of cardiotoxicity. ⋯ Asymptomatic subclinical cardiac alterations during TT may predict late cardiac complica-tions; however, longer follow‑up is necessary to confirm this hypothesis. Patients with HER2‑positive BC should be closely monitored for possible cardiac alterations during and after therapy to ensure optimal care and guide therapeutic decision‑making.
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Pol. Arch. Med. Wewn. · Apr 2022
Atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease burden in patients with familial hypercholesterolemia: interpretation of data on involvement of different vascular beds.
Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is a monogenic, autosomal dominant disorder that results in a rise of low‑density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL‑C) and markedly increased risk of premature atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. FH is relatively common, treatable, and its clinical course can be improved through early detection and timely initiation of lipid‑lowering medications. The clinical picture of FH is highly variable, with a heterogeneous phenotype even within a single family, ranging from patients with very early onset of major cardiovascular events to those who do not develop overt cardiovascular disease even at an old age. ⋯ There is a paucity of data regarding the relationship between FH and the incidence of atherosclerosis in other vascular beds. There are no studies systematically evaluating several vascular beds in asymptomatic patients with FH. Providing a systematic characteristic of patients with FH with respect to the presence and extent of atherosclerotic lesions in different vascular beds may have implications for daily practice not only for patients with FH but also for a larger number of patients with very high plasma LDL‑C concentrations.