Cardiac Complications

Abstract

Overview Patients with malignant diseases often have coexisting cardiovascular disorders or may face serious cardiovascular complications in the course of their disease. 1 The disorders may result from underlying conditions such as atherosclerosis, hypertension, or valvular abnormalities, or they may result directly from cancer or its treatment (Table 1). In addition, cardiovascular disorders that are unusual in patients not afflicted with cancer may be more common in the cancer patient, and sometimes are unsuspected. Furthermore, cardiovascular diseases common in the general population must not be overlooked in patients with cancer; the presentation of such entities may be unusual, and the diagnosis often is more complex. Increased clinical scrutiny is therefore necessary in this vulnerable population. Multiple clinical problems may also coexist and defy a simple illumination because of the complex interactions between the malignancy, consequences of its treatment, and the status of the cardiovascular system; what affects one of these variables often alters the presentation and course of the others. This article will look at some of the more common cardiovascular complications of cancer and its treatment and will also address some of the dilemmas encountered in cancer patients with concomitant cardiac conditions.

Effects of targeted lung cancer drugs on cardiomyocytes studied by atomic force microscopy

“…In addition, through the different effects of the three drugs on cardiomyocytes, osimertinib has the most obvious effect on cardiomyocytes at a low concentration, and getinib has the greatest damage to cells with the increase of concentration, while afatinib has the least effect on cardiomyocytes, which is similar to the conclusion of relevant literature. 14,17,41 The study of the mechanical properties of cardiomyocytes can help to understand the principle of the damage caused by drugs to the heart, thus helping to screen and develop drugs for treating cancer.…”