In high-risk oncology patients, chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction occurred in 8.8%, with under 40% receiving end-of-treatment echocardiography.
This editorial highlights the significant gap between guideline-recommended multimodal monitoring for chemotherapy-related cardiotoxicity and its real-world underutilization, particularly in low- and middle-income countries.
Absolute Event Rate: 0% vs 0%
Chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) remains a major barrier to optimal cancer survivorship, threatening quality of life and long-term outcomes. Contemporary guidelines emphasize early detection through multimodal strategies, including echocardiographic global longitudinal strain (GLS) and cardiac biomarkers, but their real-world uptake is inconsistent. In this issue, Méndez-Toro et al present a retrospective cohort from Colombia that highlights this gap, reporting a CTRCD incidence of 8.8% in high-risk oncology patients. Although the authors observed clear declines in left ventricular ejection fraction and GLS among affected patients, less than 40% underwent end-of-treatment echocardiography and only one-quarter had biomarker surveillance. The study underscores three critical lessons: Multimodal monitoring is under-utilized, reported incidence likely underestimates the true burden, and low- and middle-income countries face unique challenges in implementing structured cardio-oncology programs. These findings demand a shift from sporadic monitoring to pragmatic, risk-adapted protocols that can translate early detection into meaningful cardioprotection.
Ali et al. (Thu,) reported a other. In high-risk oncology patients, chemotherapy-related cardiac dysfunction occurred in 8.8%, with under 40% receiving end-of-treatment echocardiography.