Cardiac involvement in oncologic patients

Abstract

As cancer survival rates improve, the development of chemotherapy-induced cardiotoxicity is becoming increasingly relevant and more widely recognized. Childhood survivors of cancer are seven times more likely to die from cardiac causes and 15 times more likely to develop heart failure than their contemporaries. It is not only well-established chemotherapeutic agents that promote cardiac morbidity, but also many newer ‘targeted’ agents share cancer and cardiac receptor targets that also promote cardiovascular injury. This chapter addresses how the imaging specialist may interact with patients receiving potentially cardiotoxic cancer treatment in three clinical scenarios: baseline assessment of cardiac anatomy and function, assessment of acute and subacute treatment-related complications, and long-term surveillance of cardiotoxicity.