Multi-Modality Imaging to Detect Ischemic and Valvular Heart Disease in Adult Cancer Patients

Abstract

Thanks to impressive advances in the field of oncology over the last 30 years, there has been a significant rise in cancer survivors. Nowadays, cardiovascular disease is one of the leading causes of death in this patient population. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a major problem due to shared risk factors, an aging population and in many cases induced and/or accelerated atherosclerosis by antitumoral treatment during and even decades after the end of cancer therapy. Furthermore, the presence of CAD or valvular heart disease (VHD) at the time point of cancer diagnosis largely increases the risk of any cancer therapy-related cardiovascular toxicity (CTR-CVT). It is therefore of utmost importance to detect CAD and VHD before, during, and after certain types of chemotherapy, target therapies, and radiotherapy. Multimodality cardiovascular imaging plays a central role in this vulnerable population where individual risk stratification and multidisciplinary decision-making are critical.