Drug preventing Breast Cancer may cause Heart Disease.

The heart problems associated with using Herception, a drug used to fight breast cancer, are higher than what researchers initially thought.

Herception (Trastuzumab), along with Rituxan and Avastin, is one of Genentech's main cancer-fighting drugs, and its popularity is surging. In terms of sales, Herception has recorded a 111 percent increase with sales increasing from $ 152 million to $ 320 million in one year.

Herceptin, as a drug to cure breast cancer, was approved in 1998. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration had specifically approved it for women whose breast cancer was linked to a genetic growth factor called HER2. That the drug causes heart problems was also known initially.

Previous studies found heart problems in 11 percent of women who took Herceptin in combination with a common type of chemotherapy. A recent study by the M.D. Anderson researchers pegged this figure at 28 percent. The risks associated were congestive heart failure and malfunction of the ventricle chambers that pump blood out of the heart.

The research published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, describes the risk as "acceptable", and claims that majority of the heart damage could be reversed with treatment. Most of these heart problems can be treated with beta blockers or ACE inhibitors. ``It's quite good that we can manage this safely,'' said Dr. Francisco Esteva, the lead author for the study by the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center. He also said "The drug substantially prolongs survival ... If the cardiac side-effects of Herceptin treatment can be managed, the drug is safe to use."

The study presents a cautionary tale about the potential downside of the effective drug, however, the benefit of Herceptin in preventing breast-cancer recurrence and death far outweighs the small risk of cardiac dysfunction.