Cardio-Oncology: Addressing Cardio-Toxicities from Cancer Treatment

Cardio-Oncology: Addressing Cardio-Toxicities from Cancer Treatment

Cancer treatments have improved significantly over the last 40 years, with much improved outcomes for 5-year survival. In 1975, a cancer diagnosis came with a projected overall 5-year survival rate of less than a 50%. Today, the overall five-year survival rate is close to 70%, and for some disease groups, like breast cancer, the rate is much higher, especially if detected at an early stage. Cancer treatments  have the potential to be hard on other organs of the body and some  are especially hard on the heart and vascular systems. Many drug therapies, as well as radiation therapy, can have negative long term effects on the heart, if not managed correctly. Cardio-Oncologists bridge the gap between the oncologist and the cardiologist, to help prevent and/or manage the long term effects of cancer treatments on the heart.