Anticancer Treatment of Breast Cancer Related to Cardiotoxicity and Dysfunctional Endothelium

Several cytotoxic regimens are related to endothelial cell damage and vascular toxicity. Endothelial dysfunction is implicated in the pathogenesis of all known cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and closely related to the metabolic syndrome. Both CVD and diabetes contributes importantly to total mortality and to breast cancer (BC) specific mortality. In the epidemiological part of the project, the investigators will determine the prevalence and incidence of cardiovascular and metabolic morbidity/mortality in early BC patients compared to the Danish background population. In the clinical part, the investigators will study the changes of endothelial function and metabolic parameters in BC patients receiving chemotherapy. With increasing number of BC survivors, long-term consequences of curative cancer treatment should be studied. The investigators hypothesize that cytotoxic therapy worsens metabolic parameters possibly through endothelial dysfunction. If this is true, the next step will be to evaluate how strict metabolic control will affect prognosis.