This study showed a significant decrease over time in the incidence of distal gastric carcinomas but no significant increase in the incidence of cardia carcinomas. Despite improvement in the management of patients, prognosis remains dismal, probably because of an increased incidence of poor prognosis of histological and anatomical types.
152 Background: Trastuzumab is widely used in Her2 positive metastatic esophageal and gastric cancers along with chemotherapy. Cardiotoxicity of trastuzumab has been described precisely in Her2 positive breast cancers and occurs with asymptomatic lowering of LVEF (Left Ventricular Ejection Fraction) in up to 10% of cases. Esogastric cancer patients are usually older and have more comorbidities than patients followed for breast cancer. Methods: This monocentric retrospective study measured the incidence of symptomatic and asymptomatic cardiotoxicity in patients treated for metastatic esogastric cancers and its potential impact regarding overall survival from October 2009 to September 2015. Patients should receive trastuzumab with chemotherapy during the period of study for treatment of Her2 positive metastatic esogastric cancer as first-line chemotherapy. Results: 27 patients received trastuzumab along with chemotherapy during the period of study. Median age was 62.3 years, sex ratio 21 M/6 W. The median number of cycles of trastuzumab was 5 cycles. The asymptomatic cardiotoxicity rate, defined by a drop of more than 10% of LVEF between the enrollment echocardiogram and the third month treatment echocardiogram, was of 22%. Symptomatic cardiotoxicity was observed in two patients (7.4%), with one cardiac failure and one myocardial infarction, with no associated death. Cardiovascular comorbidities and cardiac irradiation which is recurrent in this indication did not appear as a predictive factor of cardiotoxicity (p = 1). Overall survival of patients was not statistically modified by the occurring of cardiotoxicity even if we noted a trend to better outcome of the patients presenting an asymptomatic LVEF lowering. Conclusions: This study is to our knowledge the first to focus specifically on the cardiotoxicity of trastuzumab in esogastric metastatic Her2 positive cancer in the real world. These patients seem to be at a higher asymptomatic cardiac risk than breast cancer patients. However cardiovascular comorbidities didn’t appear as predictive factors of trastuzumab induced cardiotoxicity and should not prevent patient from benefiting of this treatment.
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