Miroslav Slanina, Ján Kmec
Increasing occurrence of cancer disease world-wide, ever-raising numbers of anti-cancer drugs and their adverse effects
on the heart, together with the longer survival of oncologic patients in current chemotherapeutic treatment – all this
has initiated a recently emerging new clinical discipline between two specializations cardiology and clinical oncology –
cardiooncology. A consultant cardiologist in a very close collaboration with a clinical oncologist should be aware of the
distinctive types of possible cardiac toxicity of a given anticancer drug, be capable of evaluating the pre-existing cardiovascular
condition, choose a relevant diagnostic tool for early detection of cardiotoxicity, and timely intervention.
The greatest success in prevention of irreversible cardiac damage can be achieved by an intervention in very early preclinical
stages. The highest sensitivity in this field have some new diagnostic tools in echocardiography and laboratory
assessment of high-sensitive cardiac biomarkers. The role of a cardiologist in this issue is timely and properly to initiate
cardio-protective medication, having capacity to prevent progressive and irreversible damage of the heart, resulting
in severe incapacitating or death, despite successfully managed oncologic disease. From this point of view, the RAAS
inhibiting agents as well as betablockers, and probably statins seem very promising.