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Echocardiography and Alternative Cardiac Imaging Strategies for Long-Term Cardiotoxicity Surveillance of Cancer Survivors Treated with Chemotherapy and/or Radiation Exposure

  • Cardio-oncology (EH Yang, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

Cardiotoxicity from chemotherapy is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in cancer survivors. Cardiotoxic effects include left ventricular systolic dysfunction, coronary artery disease, hypertension, bradycardia, arrhythmias, pericardial disease, valvular disease, and radiation-induced restrictive cardiomyopathy. Noninvasive cardiac imaging has been at the forefront of detecting cardiotoxicity in patients receiving chemotherapeutic agents known to adversely affect cardiac structure and function. Regimens for cardiotoxicity surveillance prior to and during chemotherapy administration have been proposed; however, optimal screening for and treatment of long-term cancer survivors have yet to be clarified. This review focuses on the most common imaging modalities for assessing cardiac dysfunction along with newer imaging technologies, and reviews suggested long-term surveillance strategies in cancer survivors following chemotherapy and radiation therapy.

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  1. Non-Invasive Cardiology Laboratories, Division of Cardiology, UCLA Medical Center, 757 Westwood Plaza, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA

    Vinisha Garg & Gabriel Vorobiof

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  1. Vinisha Garg
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  2. Gabriel Vorobiof
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Correspondence to Gabriel Vorobiof.

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Vinisha Garg declares that she has no conflict of interest.

Gabriel Vorobiof has received compensation from Lantheus Medical Imaging, Edwards Lifesciences, and Philips Medical for service as a consultant.

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This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Cardio-oncology

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Video 1

Contrast enhanced 2D echocardiography. Images shown in the apical four-chamber view without contrast (a) and with contrast (b) in a patient with Hodgkin lymphoma with radiation-induced cardiotoxicity with ejection fraction of 48 %. (MP4 485 kb)

(MP4 485 kb)

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Garg, V., Vorobiof, G. Echocardiography and Alternative Cardiac Imaging Strategies for Long-Term Cardiotoxicity Surveillance of Cancer Survivors Treated with Chemotherapy and/or Radiation Exposure. Curr Oncol Rep 18, 52 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-016-0532-y

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