Regional myocardial edema detected by T2 mapping is a feature of cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients receiving sequential therapy with anthracyclines and trastuzumab

Background Cardiotoxicity from cancer chemotherapy is an important cause of morbidity and mortality in breast cancer survivors. Left ventricular (LV) systolic dysfunction due to sequential use of anthracyclines and trastuzumab has been reported in up to 20-25% of patients. The pathophysiological changes associated with LV dysfunction have not been described non-invasively. We performed cardiac MRI (cardiac MR) with T2 mapping to assess whether myocardial edema is a feature of acute cardiotoxicity in women with breast cancer receiving sequential anthracyclines and trastuzumab.