Late Cardiac Effects of Cancer Treatment

Cardiac toxicities from cancer therapy can become evident many years after treatment, and these late cardiac effects can have a profound impact on cancer survivors. There are a myriad of potential cardiovascular complications from cancer therapy, but these can be grouped into three main categories. First, vascular conditions including atherosclerosis, thrombosis, and hypertension predominate. Second, cardiac structural problems, especially valvular degeneration, can have a dramatic impact long term. Lastly, and most importantly, cardiac dysfunction and heart failure are potentially common late cardiac effects and can certainly be prevented or detected early during active cancer therapy to result in optimal outcomes. Future research on late cardiac effects in cancer survivors needs to include advanced cardiac imaging techniques, novel cardiac biomarkers, and genetic determinants of response to cancer treatment.