Cardiotoxicity of anticancer therapies. Towards the implementation of cardio-oncology units Cardiotoxicidad inducida por tratamientos oncológicos. Fundamentos para la implementación de equipos de Cardio-Oncología

Abstract

© 2018, Sociedad Medica de Santiago. All rights reserved. Recently, we have witnessed major improvements in cancer treatment. Early diagnosis and development of new therapies have reduced cancer-related mortality. However, these new therapies, along with greater patient survival, are associated with an increase in untoward effects, particularly in the cardiovascular system. Although cardiotoxicity induced by oncologic treatments affects predominantly the myocardium, it can also involve other structures of the cardiovascular system, becoming one of the main causes of morbidity and mortality in those who survive cancer. The main objective of cardio-oncology is to achieve the maximum benefits of oncologic treatments while minimizing their deleterious cardiovascular effects. It harbors the stratification of patients at risk of cardiotoxicity, the implementation of diagnostic tools (imaging techniques and biomarkers) for early diagnosis, preventive strategies and early treatment options for