Among women with breast cancer who received a type of chemotherapy called an anthracycline, those who had a certain genetic biomarker had a significantly increased risk for having anthracycline-induced congestive heart failure.
Schneider explained that the decision to undergo chemotherapy for breast cancer is not always clear cut because each patient has a different risk of relapse and different tolerance to potential adverse effects of treatment. As a result, the more information a patient and his or her oncologist have about the potential risks and benefits of treatment the better prepared they are to make good treatment decisions, he noted.
