Background: Some antineoplastic agents are known for their cardiotoxicity, especially anthracyclines, used for breast cancer neoadjuvant chemotherapy and induction treatment for some hematological malignancies. Nevertheless, there is scarce evidence about the potential cardiovascular abnormalities due to other chemotherapy agents. This study aimed to assess the electrocardiographic (ECG) parameters in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Patients and methods: This was a retrospective observational study conducted in the Cancer Medical Centers of C.O.C COLOMBIA S.A.S, located in the Coffee Triangle Region in Colombia. Participants were patients >18 years old with a cancer diagnosis who consulted for chemotherapy prescriptions from clinical oncology between May 1 and October 1, 2022. Patients with a history of cardiovascular disease (heart failure and ischemic heart disease) were excluded. Demographics, clinical data, and Standard 12-lead ECG interpretation were obtained from the medical record database. Results: A total of 99 patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy were included. The most prevalent diagnosis was breast cancer (32.3%), followed by gastrointestinal cancer (20.2%); 64% of the patients were in an advanced stage (III-IV). In chemotherapy indications, 31.3% were prescribed for palliative care, with the same percentage for adjuvant therapy and 18% for neoadjuvant and hormonal treatment, respectively. The most frequently prescribed antineoplastic agents were taxanes, antimetabolites with oxaliplatin, and anthracyclines. The prevalence of abnormal ECG was 29%, with arrhythmia as the most observed abnormality (79.3%), three patients had left ventricular hypertrophy, and three patients had acute myocardial ischemia signs in the ECG. Nine of the 29 patients with abnormal ECG received taxane therapy without previous exposure to other agents, such as anthracyclines. Conclusions: In this study, the patients receiving anthracyclines had lower ECG abnormalities than other reports, but taxanes and GnRH therapy were more associated with ECG alterations, particularly arrhythmias. The cardiotoxicity of chemotherapy must be further assessed in prospective designs that include other agents such as taxanes and hormonal therapy.
Clinical characteristics and ECG abnormalities in cancer patients (n=99)
