Cardio-oncology: Foundations and value of echocardiography in its study

New horizons of ultrasound in Cardiology

Abstract

Cardiotoxicity, which refers to the set of symptoms and signs that result from the effect of antineoplastic therapy on the heart, is one of the main areas of study of Cardio-oncology. The sum of risk factors and the side effects of antineoplastic agents are capable of producing reversible (type 1) or irreversible (type 2) heart damage. A fundamental tool to define cardiotoxicity is echocardiography, which confirms the decrease of the left ventricular ejection fraction. However, the echocardiographic approach has been limited to visualizing the damage produced, but not to preventing its occurrence. Among the new techniques developed, strain rate imaging allows to document changes in ventricular wall motion before they manifest with the fall of systolic function, thus identifying patients who are at risk of presenting cardiovascular complications related to the use of antineoplastic drugs.