Key result
Radiation therapy is associated with cardiovascular toxicity, highlighting the need for cardio-oncology screening in survivors.
Why the study?
With steadily increasing numbers of cancer survivors, increased clinical suspicion and mechanistic knowledge of radiation toxicity are important to enable appropriate screening, diagnosis, and management of cardiovascular risk.
Randomized trial assesses cardiac effects of radiation exposure, suggesting significant health implications.
Radiation therapy is an important component of cancer treatment, and today, it is applied to approximately 50% of malignancies, including valvular, myocardial, pericardial, coronary or peripheral vascular disease, and arrhythmias. An increased clinical suspicion and knowledge of those mechanisms is important to initiate appropriate screening for the optimal diagnosis and treatment. As the number of cancer survivors has been steadily increasing over the last decades, cardio-oncology, an evolving subspecialty of cardiology, will soon play a pivotal role in raising awareness of the increased cardiovascular risk and formulate strategies to optimally manage patients in this unique population.
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Marmagkiolis et al. (2016) conducted a review in Radiation-induced cardiovascular disease. Radiation therapy was evaluated. Radiation therapy is associated with cardiovascular toxicity, highlighting the evolving role of cardio-oncology in screening and managing the increased cardiovascular risk in cancer survivors.
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