Among 74 adults with HER2-positive breast cancer in Australia and the United States, nearly three-quarters (74.3%) expressed willingness to take cardioprotective medications during cancer treatment. Physician recommendation was the dominant driver, cited by 79.1% of respondents. While 72.9% valued long-term cardiovascular health, 60.4% reported uncertainty about actual benefit — and cancer-related outcomes consistently took priority over cardiovascular ones. Notably, no demographic or clinical characteristics predicted willingness, suggesting broad, cross-cutting openness to these interventions.
Cardiotoxicity from HER2-targeted therapies like trastuzumab is a well-documented clinical challenge, yet evidence-based prevention strategies remain elusive. This survey addresses a genuinely underexplored dimension: patient acceptability as a prerequisite for trial success and real-world uptake. The finding that physician endorsement so strongly drives willingness underscores how central clinician communication will be when cardioprotective trials eventually report results — patients are largely waiting for guidance rather than resisting intervention.
However, the study carries meaningful limitations. The sample of 74 self-selected online respondents is small and likely skews toward health-engaged, digitally literate patients, limiting generalizability. As a cross-sectional survey, it captures stated rather than actual behavior. Causal inferences cannot be drawn. This is a preprint posted on medRxiv and has not yet undergone peer review, meaning findings and conclusions may shift. Still, for the emerging field of cardio-oncology, the work is a valuable, if incremental, signal that patient acceptability deserves systematic attention in trial design.