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Aim: To investigate the relation between intima-media thickness (IMT) and laboratory parameters of atherosclerosis risk in patients with breast carcinoma., Patients and Methods: IMT and a panel of laboratory parameters associated with the risk of atherosclerosis were studied in 192 patients with histologically-verified breast carcinoma., Results: Patients with metastatic disease had significantly higher fibrinogen, C-reactive protein (CRP), urinary neopterin and mean IMT, and significantly lower serum albumin and hemoglobin concentrations. Significant correlations were observed between CRP, urinary neopterin, mean IMT and other parameters of cardiovascular risk. Age was an independent predictor of the presence of sonographic signs of atherosclerosis using logistic regression, and age, glucose, time from start of chemotherapy, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, D-dimers were independently associated with IMT in stepwise regression models., Conclusion: In addition to the associations between IMT and laboratory or clinical parameters of the risk of atherosclerosis, IMT may also be associated with the time from chemotherapy.

An increased incidence of complications of atherosclerosis has been noted in cancer survivors. The aim of the present study was to evaluate, in patients with breast carcinoma, the effect of antracycline-based chemotherapy on carotid intima-media thickness (IMT), myocardial perfusion, assessed by single-photon emission tomography (SPECT) and laboratory parameters associated with the risk of atherosclerosis. Thirty-six patients with breast cancer were evaluated before and after anthracycline-based chemotherapy. Retinol, alpha-tocopherol, glycosylated hemoglobin and urinary neopterin were measured by high-performance liquid chromatography. Peripheral blood cell count, D-dimers, fibrinogen, antithrombin, glucose, magnesium, creatinine, uric acid, albumin, C-reactive protein, lipoprotein (a), cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol, triglycerides, homocysteine, urinary albumin and N-acetyl-beta-D-glucosaminidase (NAG) were determined with routine methods. No significant differences were observed between patients and 16 controls. Compared to the measurement before the start of therapy, peripheral blood leukocyte and platelet count, hemoglobin, creatinine, HDL cholesterol, retinol, albumin, urinary albumin and NAG decreased, and total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, neopterin and mean IMT increased significantly after the treatment. Of the 36 patients who had SPECT after treatment, perfusion defects were noted only in two cases, including the patient who had perfusion defects at baseline examination and a patient who did not have a baseline SPECT. In conclusion, a significant increase in carotid IMT, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides and urinary neopterin and a decrease of peripheral blood leukocyte and platelet counts, hemoglobin, creatinine, HDL cholesterol, retinol, albumin and NAG were observed after the treatment.