CARDIOVASCULAR EFFECTS OF ONCOLOGY THERAPIES

Agnieszka Giza; Urszula Marzec; Aleksandra Cyrkler; Natalia  Cieślak; Karol Dąbek; Eliza Rajca; Paulina Giza; Karolina Wymoczył; Kamila Czyżak; Agata  Chodkowska

doi:10.31435/ijitss.2(50).2026.5087

Authors

Agnieszka Giza Independent Public Hospital No. 4 in Lublin, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0002-5741-3482
Urszula Marzec Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński Provincial Specialist Hospital SPZOZ in Lublin, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0000-6348-184X
Aleksandra Cyrkler Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński Provincial Specialist Hospital SPZOZ in Lublin, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0001-6865-7450
Natalia Cieślak Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0004-6355-8164
Karol Dąbek Municipal Hospital, John Paul II, Rzeszów, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6152-3870
Eliza Rajca Wojewódzki Szpital Zespolony, Kielce, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0005-6024-4298
Paulina Giza Medical University of Warsaw, Warsaw, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7637-5906
Karolina Wymoczył Stefan Cardinal Wyszyński Provincial Specialist Hospital SPZOZ in Lublin, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0004-7326-8013
Kamila Czyżak Municipal Hospital, John Paul II, Rzeszów, Poland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8866-5810
Agata Chodkowska Medical University of Lublin, Lublin, Poland https://orcid.org/0009-0000-5006-3040

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.31435/ijitss.2(50).2026.5087

Keywords:

Cardio‑oncology, Chemotherapy, Immunotherapy, Cardiotoxicity, Myocarditis, Heart Failure

Abstract

Cancer patients' prognosis all around the world has been much improved by treatments including conventional chemotherapy, targeted therapy, and immunotherapy. The benefits of these choices, however, come with their own set of problems; they often lead to a lot of heart problems, which are called cancer treatment-related cardiotoxicity (CTR-C). This study provides a thorough examination combining the most recent results on a number of important aspects including the prevalence of cardiotoxicity, its underlying pathophysiology, and the critical need of strong monitoring systems.

For this review, information was carefully looked at from a lot of places, including systematic reviews, meta-analyses, randomized controlled trials, observational research, and guideline papers. Depending on the dosage, anthracyclines have been found to induce left ventricular dysfunction, arrhythmias, and maybe even heart failure in certain persons. Furthermore, HER2-targeted medicines, while often exhibiting reversible side effects, are known for raising the risk of cardiotoxicity, especially in patients who have undergone anthracycline therapy before. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) present a particular set of difficulties since they are linked with immune-mediated myocarditis, arrhythmias, pericardial disorders, and, on rare events, vasculitis, with symptoms usually during the first cycles of treatment.

The current research clearly emphasizes the critical importance of baseline cardiovascular examinations using a range of imaging modalities and biomarkers to help to detect cardiotoxicity early in individuals undergoing cancer therapy.

Though this field has progressed, more study is required to improve monitoring techniques and develop individualized preventive plans to reduce the cardiovascular hazards related to cancer therapies.

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