Objective: To investigate the efficacy of Shenmai injection for myocardial damage caused by chemotherapy in postoperative breast cancer patients

and observe its effect on oxidative stress. Method: The 98 postoperative breast cancer patients were randomly divided into control group (49 cases) and treatment group (49 cases) with reference to digital table method. Patients of control group were treated with CEF chemotherapy [cytoxan (CTX) 75 mg ·m-2+epirubicin(EPI) 60 mg ·m-2+fluorouracil 500 mg ·m-2]

with 21 days as one cycle

one time/cycle

for a total of 6 cycles. Patients of treatment group were also treated with Shenmai injection based on the treatment in control group

60 mL/time

by intravenous drip of 500 mL 5% glucose injection

from 1 d before chemotherapy to one week after chemotherapy

7 times/cycle. The traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) symptom scores and cardiac function pre-post treatment were compared between two groups. Levels of cardiac troponin-I(cTnI)

creatine kinase (CK)

creatine kinase isoenzyme (CK-MB)

total superoxide dismutase (SOD)

reduced glutathione (GSH) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were detected in two groups. Result: At the ending of chemotherapy and 1 week after chemotherapy

the TCM symptom scores in treatment were significantly lower than those in control group (P<0.01);cardiac function indexes of E/A and LVEF were significantly higher than those in control group (P<0.01)

levels of cTnI

CK

CK-MB

and MDA in treatment group were significantly lower than those in control group

while levels of SOD and GSH in treatment group were significantly higher than those in control group

with statistically significant difference (P<0.01). Conclusion: Shenmai injection has obvious protection effect on myocardial damage caused by chemotherapy in postoperative breast cancer patients

and its mechanism may be associated with improving oxidative stress state.