The Secret Connection of CANCER to HEART HEALTH

Heart diseases have always been the leading cause of death all across the world, followed by the deaths from Cancer. Now the studies have revealed that the Cancer treatment also leads to cardiac side effects.  It is often observed in the population of people, who are already fighting Cancer, will also develop heart diseases. In fact, for many cases of breast cancer, women are more likely to die of cardiac disease than of cancer itself. This is because, the cancer treatments such as chemotherapy, targeted therapies and radiation therapy, can damage the heart health and leads to various side effects including abnormal heart rhythms, high blood pressure, and heart failure.

Although Cancer therapies affect the number of organs and lead to health conditions such as lung disease and infection or kidney disease, the increase in the cases of cardiac side effects in cancer patients leads to the emergence of a new field, Cardio-Oncology. It involves the study of the adverse effect on the cardiovascular system that occurs as a result of cancer treatment and not so much for the tumor in the heart. The main aim is to minimize the adverse cardiovascular effects in cancer patients.     

These cardiac side-effects can be seen during the treatment or can even be undetected for years or decades after the treatment has ended, known as longer-term cardiovascular side effects or cardiotoxicities.

Cardio-oncology is the team-based approach that involves oncologists, cardiologists, clinical researchers and hematologists to work together for prevention, detection, and management of heart diseases in all the stages of cancer therapy and also in the cancer survivors. This is one of the most promising areas of research and advancements as it can lead to longer survivorship in cancer patients.