Clinical Indicators of Cardiovascular Risk in Adult Patients Undergoing Chemotherapy: A Protocol for Scoping Review

Heart disease and cancer are the main causes of morbidity and mortality worldwide. As the number of cancer survivors increases, cardiotoxicity associated with cancer treatment has become a major concern as it presents a substantial challenge in the follow-up of these patients. Here, we aimed to map the clinical indicators for cardiovascular risk in adult patients undergoing chemotherapy. A scoping review protocol adhering to the PRISMA-P statement and in accordance with the JBI guidelines will be conducted. Cochrane Library, MEDLINE/PubMed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, Scopus, Web of Science, and PsycINFO as well as register sites such as ClinicalTrials.gov and WHO-ICTRP will be searched. Additional sources, including Google Scholar, The British Library, and medRXiv, will also be searched, with no date or idiom restrictions. A combination of subject headings, MeSH terms, Emtree terms, CINAHL Headings, and APA Thesaurus, using the Boolean terms AND/OR, will be performed. In addition, two independent researchers will conduct the overall steps of this review. The results will be presented via narrative summaries, considering the types of clinical indicators. To the best of our knowledge, this will be the first scoping review in the cardio-oncology field to map, via a rigorous review method, the clinical indicators for cardiovascular risk in adult cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.