DOXORUBICIN-INDUCED CARDIOMYOPATHY TREATED WITH CARVEDILOL

Even today, heart failure due to doxorubicin-induced dilated cardiomyo pathy seems to have a poor prognosis, as it is often irreversible and relatively unresponsive to standard medical treatment. This paper desc ribes the first case of a patient complaining of severe symptoms of co ngestive heart failure due to doxorubicin-induced dilated cardiomyopat hy unresponsive to standard medical treatment (digoxin, diuretics, and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor), who showed complete clinica l recovery and significant improvement of left ventricular dysfunction after carvedilol treatment. It also illustrates the possibility that carvedilol may be a first-choice drug for the treatment of this diseas e.