Echocardiography has emerged as the modality of choice for noninvasive evaluation of cardiac disease in the cancer patient. This tool is essential for the evaluation of left ventricular systolic and diastolic dysfunction, pericardial and valvular heart disease. However, echocardiograms are only routinely performed at the beginning of cancer therapy, in order to document a normal left ventricular systolic function. Further echocardiographic follow up during cancer therapy is performed only as a consequence of the onset of cardiac symptoms and/or signs, in particular following the administration of recognized cardiotoxic drugs or radiation therapy.

Dr Rosa Sicari, FESC, from the CNR Institute of Clinical Physiology, Pisa, Italy and chairperson of the EAE Scientific Committee adds that "the assessment of cardiac toxicity remains a critical issue in oncology. Ejection fraction, the time honored parameter of function is not useful for the detection of early and subtle forms of cardiac dysfunction. New tools are needed and the evidence should be built in the near future with appropriately designed studies and with the common efforts of oncologists, cardiologists and pharmacologists. This document is not meant to fill the gap of knowledge but to provide the state of the art of ultrasound in this field and indicate new research pathways."

On these premises, the upcoming joint recommendations of the American Society of Echocardiography and European Association of Echocardiography will present the need and clinical usefulness of serial echocardiographic evaluations, and the potential impact of more advanced ultrasound technologies in patients undergoing cancer therapy.

Source: European Society of Cardiology