The diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease in cancer patients

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease is commonly found in cancer patients. The co-existence of heart disease and cancer in a patient often complicates treatment, because therapy for one disease may negatively affect the outcome of the other disease. In addition, guidelines for the treatment of cardiovascular disease are often based on studies, which exclude patients who have cancer. In this review we will discuss the diagnosis and management of cardiovascular disease in cancer patients. We will focus on cancer-related causes of cardiovascular disease and special treatment options for cardiovascular disease in cancer patients. The cardiac complications of cancer therapy will be discussed according to common syndromes: left ventricular dysfunction, myocardial ischemia, blood pressure changes, thromboembolism, bradyarrhythmias, and prolonged QT interval.