Effects of anthracycline chemotherapy and Kuan-Sin-Yin on the spectral indices of arterial pulse waveforms in breast cancer patients

Article type: Research Article

Authors: Chen, Chao-Tsung^{a; b; c} | Huang, Tzu-Wei^d | Chou, Yi-Sheng^e | Cheng, Chi-Feng^e | Wu, Hung-Bo^e | Hsu, Chung-Hua^{a; f; *} | Hsiu, Hsin^{d; g; *}

Affiliations: [a] Institute of Traditional Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Chiao-Tung University, Taipei, Taiwan | [b] Department of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Taipei City Hospital RenAi Branch, Taipei, Taiwan | [c] General Education Center, University of Taipei, Taipei, Taiwan | [d] Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei, Taiwan | [e] Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology and Oncology, Taipei City Hospital, Renai Branch, Taipei, Taiwan | [f] Branch of Linsen and Chinese Medicine, Taipei City Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan | [g] Biomedical Engineering Research Center, National Defense Medical Center, Taipei, Taiwan

Correspondence: [*] Corresponding authors: Hsin Hsiu, No.43, Section 4, Keelung Road, Graduate Institute of Biomedical Engineering, National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, Taipei 10607, Taiwan. Tel.: +1 886 22730-3730; Fax: +1 886 2 2730-3733; E-mail: [email protected]. Chung-Hua Hsu, Institute of Traditional Medicine, School of Medicine, National Yang-Ming Chiao-Tung University, 155, Li-Nong St, Sec 2, Peitou, Taipei, Taiwan. E-mail: [email protected].

Abstract: The vascular structure and function are potentially useful biomarkers for tumor detection. Treatment with chemotherapeutic agents may impair vascular function and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. This study aimed to use noninvasive pulse waveform measurements to identify differences in the frequency-domain indices of the pulse waveform in breast-cancer patients following anthracycline chemotherapy between with (Group KSY) and without (Group NKSY) receiving Kuan-Sin-Yin (KSY) treatment. Radial blood pressure waveform (BPW) signals were measured noninvasively for 3 minutes in 31 patients, and the FACT-G, BFI-T, and EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaires were administered. The following pulse indices were calculated for 10 harmonics: the amplitude proportion and its coefficient of variation, and the phase angle and its standard deviation. The changes in spectral BPW indices were more prominent in Group NKSY than in Group KSY, especially for the decreases in BPW variability indices. Scores on the FACT-G, BFI-T, and EORTC QLQ-C30 questionnaires suggested that the quality of life following chemotherapy was better in Group KSY. The identified decreases in pulse variability indices could be related to the greater impairment of regulatory activities in Group NKSY. The present findings may be meaningful in developing techniques with advantages such as being noninvasive and time-saving to evaluate the blood supply and physiological conditions following chemotherapy or other treatment strategies in cancer patients.

Keywords: Breast cancer, pulse, spectral analysis, Kuan-Sin-Yin, chemotherapy

DOI: 10.3233/CH-221602

Journal: Clinical Hemorheology and Microcirculation, vol. 84, no. 4, pp. 345-358, 2023