3^rd World Heart and Brain Congress

Cardiac Oncology and Cancer Treatment

Cardio-oncology is also called as the cardiovascular oncology it is a field of medicine. Cardio-oncology is the discipline that concentrates on the intersection of heart diseases and cancer. This field is growing at a faster rate because the survivors after cancer therapies are more prone to develop cardiovascular disease. The increase in cancer disease in the world has led to the emergence of numerous chemotherapeutic agents which are under preclinical or clinical studies. These agents are potent to cause damage to the heart (carddiotoxicity).

Cardiotoxic effects of chemotherapy might be decreased by the concurrent use of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers or beta-blockers. The use of diagnostic imaging, noninvasive stress testing, serum biomarkers, ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and ambulatory cardiac telemetry can help to identify cardiotoxicities and lead to the development of preventative strategies.

• Cardiotoxic therapy
• Cardiotoxicity
• Cardiac tumors
• Cancer and blood clots
• Cancer and blood vessels
• Cancer and heart failure
• Cardiac biomarkers

Cardio-oncology involves three main areas of focus: identify high-risk cancer patients, prevent damage to the heart and monitor patient progress. Before cancer treatment begins, oncologists consult with a cancer patient’s primary care physician and/or cardiologist to identify chronic conditions, such as hypertension and diabetes that increase the patient’s risk for cardiovascular issues.

Treatment

If you have heart damage due to certain types of cancer drugs, or radiation treatment to the chest, we develop a specialized plan for you. Side by side with your oncologists, our cardiologists discuss your heart function and possible treatments, including other types of medication that may help and not interfere with your cancer treatment. We may also discuss other alternatives to your cancer treatment, including the use of drugs that may not affect your heart. As an academic medical center, we are training tomorrow’s leaders in this field. The top experts in cardiology and oncology are doing cutting-edge cardio-oncology research, to build better ways to evaluate, protect and treat cancer patients who are at risk for cardiac conditions.