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“New Clinical Trial Investigates Behavioral and Psychological Interventions to Prevent Cardiac Damage in Breast Cancer Patients”
Women with breast cancer are set to participate in a clinical trial known as CARDIOCARE, which aims to assess the effectiveness of behavioral and psychological therapies in reducing cardiac damage caused by anticancer drugs. This collaborative effort is led by a consortium of European partners, including the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
The latest developments in this project will be discussed on the ESC TV stage at the ESC Congress, with additional information available in the Exchange and Lounge sections.
Professor Dimitrios I. Fotiadis, the project coordinator from the University of Ioannina in Greece, emphasized the devastating impact of cardiovascular disease as a complication of anticancer treatment on both physical and mental health. He explained that CARDIOCARE intends to provide women aged 65 and above with breast cancer the necessary tools to enhance their physical well-being and adapt psychologically to the disease.
Breast cancer is the most prevalent cancer in the European Union, accounting for 13.3% of all new cancer cases in 2020. It is estimated that 1 in 11 women in the EU will be affected by breast cancer by the age of 74.
CARDIOCARE, a five-year EU-funded study, aspires to revolutionize the treatment of older women with breast cancer. The project involves collaboration between experts in cardiology, oncology, psychology, molecular biology, bioinformatics, computer science, and biomedical engineering from seven European countries (Greece, Italy, Cyprus, Slovenia, Sweden, the Netherlands, and France) to enhance patient monitoring, treatment, and care.
The clinical trial will evaluate the impact of behavioral and psychological interventions on the quality of life, physical and mental well-being, and the cardiotoxic effects of breast cancer treatment in 750 breast cancer patients across six clinical centers in Europe.
All participants in the trial will receive the CARDIOCARE mobile application (app). They will be randomly assigned to receive the app with both ePsycHeart and eHealtHeart components or the app with ePsycHeart only. ePsycHeart will monitor quality of life, mobility, and mental health using wearable chest band heart rate sensors, smartwatches, and questionnaires. eHealtHeart will encourage patients in the intervention group to adopt behaviors such as increased physical activity, maintaining a healthy diet, memory-enhancing games, and home environment adjustments to reduce the risk of falls.
Another significant objective of the trial is the early identification of breast cancer patients at the highest risk of heart and blood vessel damage resulting from anticancer treatments. Advanced technologies, including next-generation sequencing, will be utilized to identify changes in gut microbe species that signal heart and blood vessel damage before symptoms manifest. Additionally, artificial intelligence will be employed to analyze heart images to predict the likelihood of heart damage.
Professor Fotiadis expressed optimism about CARDIOCARE’s potential to enhance the physical and mental health of older women with breast cancer by detecting cardiovascular side effects of anticancer treatment early and providing digital tools to support patients’ mental and physical well-being.
