Dynamic Changes of Blood Lipids in Breast Cancer Patients After (Neo)adjuvant Chemotherapy: A Retrospective Observational Study

BACKGROUND: Previous studies indicated that the (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer can cause significant dyslipidemia in patients, but how long this abnormality can persist is unclear so far. The purpose of this study is to investigate whether (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy has a long-term effect on blood lipids in breast cancer patients. METHODS: A total of 159 newly diagnosed female breast cancer patients receiving the (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy subsequently and 159 female healthy controls were enrolled into the observational study. All participants’ blood lipid profiles which included TC, TG, HDL-C, and LDL-C before and at the end of the 1st and 12th month after chemotherapy were retrieved from the electronic medical record system. The blood lipid profiles and the percentage of dyslipidemia before and after chemotherapy in breast cancer patients and controls were compared. RESULTS: Compared with the baseline before chemotherapy, TC, LDL-C, and TG increased significantly at the end of the 1st month after chemotherapy, but only the abnormal increase in TG (2.98±0.71 mmol/L vs 2.82±0.63 mmol/L, P<0.05) and LDL-C (1.82±0.42 mmol/L vs 1.59±0.42 mmol/L, P<0.05) continued until the 12th month after chemotherapy. Levels of HDL-C in breast cancer patients and all the blood lipid parameters in controls remained stable during the observation period. The percentage of dyslipidemia in breast cancer patients rose from 41.5% at baseline to 54.1% at the 12th month after chemotherapy. Subgroup analysis demonstrated that the increase in dyslipidemia percentage was more pronounced in patients with low body mass index and aged over 50 years. CONCLUSION: The (neo)adjuvant chemotherapy used for treating breast cancers can cause significant abnormalities in blood lipid profiles, and the abnormal increase in LDL-C and TG can last at least 12 months after chemotherapy, which indicates long-term management of blood lipid is necessary for those patients.