Response to Letters Regarding Article, “Early Detection of Anthracycline Cardiotoxicity and Improvement With Heart Failure Therapy”

We appreciate the thoughtful comments of Patane, Gallucci, and coworkers regarding our study.1 The aim of our clinical study was to prospectively evaluate the incidence, timing of occurrence, clinical correlation, and response to heart failure therapy in a large population of anthracycline-treated patients, followed up for many (up to 19) years. Because of its clinical slant, the investigation of possible mechanisms underlying anthracycline-induced cardiomyopathy was beyond the scope of our study. Regardless of the possible mechanisms involved in the development of this form of cardiomyopathy, the clinically relevant result of our study is that anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity is a dose-dependent condition, and it occurs mostly during the first year after the end of chemotherapy. Notably, the latter aspect is in contrast …