Cancer therapy can cause myocardial damage, induce endothelial dysfunction, and alter cardiac conduction, requiring close collaboration between cardiologists and cancer specialists.
What are the cardiovascular complications of cancer therapy, specifically cardiomyopathy and ischemia, and how should they be managed?
Cardiologists must be knowledgeable about the diagnosis, prevention, and management of cancer therapy-induced cardiovascular complications to improve outcomes in the growing population of cancer survivors.
Modern cancer therapy has successfully cured many cancers and converted a terminal illness into a chronic disease. Because cancer patients often have coexisting heart diseases, expert advice from cardiologists will improve clinical outcome. In addition, cancer therapy can also cause myocardial damage, induce endothelial dysfunction, and alter cardiac conduction. Thus, it is important for practicing cardiologists to be knowledgeable about the diagnosis, prevention, and management of the cardiovascular complications of cancer therapy. In this first part of a 2-part review, we will review cancer therapy-induced cardiomyopathy and ischemia. This review is based on a MEDLINE search of published data, published clinical guidelines, and best practices in major cancer centers. With the number of cancer survivors expanding quickly, the time has come for cardiologists to work closely with cancer specialists to prevent and treat cancer therapy-induced cardiovascular complications.
“As soon as you start feeling like you're getting familiar with one drug, there's a whole new class of drugs coming out that have their own potential impact. As much as we have made progress with cardio-oncology, we are still really in a very early phase of the specialty, and there are probably still more questions than answers.”
Chang et al. (Wed,) conducted a review in Cancer therapy-induced cardiovascular complications. Cancer therapy was evaluated. Cancer therapy can cause myocardial damage, induce endothelial dysfunction, and alter cardiac conduction, requiring close collaboration between cardiologists and cancer specialists.