The Effect of N-Acetylcysteine Administration to Prevent Anthracycline-Induced Cardiotoxicity in Breast Cancer Patients

Introduction: Anthracyclines are one of the classes of chemotherapy drugs that are widely used to treat many types of cancers including breast cancer. Taking this class of medications has a significant relationship with cardiac dysfunction. N-acetylcysteine has antioxidant properties and may be effective in preventing cardiac dysfunctions. In this study, we investigated the effect of N-acetylcysteine in preventing cardiotoxicity in breast cancer patients receiving anthracycline. Methods: A total of 60 breast cancer patients who underwent chemotherapy with anthracyclines were enrolled in the present case-control study and divided into two groups. The case group received 600 mg of N-acetylcysteine per day adjacent to chemotherapy; while the control group did not receive this medication. One month after the last chemotherapy session, troponin I was measured as a predictor of cardiotoxicity. Results: Troponin I was positive in one patient in the case group compared with 3 patients in the control group without any significant difference among groups (P> 0.05) However, the respective meanSD level of troponin I was 0.1200.039 and 0.1920.063 in the case and control groups with a statistically significant difference among groups (P <0.001). Conclusions: Administration of 600 mg N-acetylcysteine per day during the anthracyclinebased chemotherapy protocol in breast cancer patients may reduce the mean troponin I levels which can be a prediction of reduced anthracyclines cardiotoxicity.