HJBR Jan/Feb 2021

50 JAN / FEB 2021 I  HEALTHCARE JOURNAL OF BATON ROUGE needs of those who may require this care is important. Screening algorithms have been designed to help identify which pa- tients might be at a higher risk based on both their known medical history as well as the type of cancer therapy planned. For some low-risk patients undergoing high- risk treatments, regular screening, typically with an ultrasound of the heart (an echo- cardiogram) to include a relatively newer modality known as strain echocardiogra- phy, can help identify early signs of cardiac toxicity. Once identified, these patients are then referred to a cardio-oncology clinic OVER the recent decades, there has been tremendous progress made to help better understand, prevent, diagnose and treat both of these diseases. As cancer therapies have evolved, the potential risk of damage to the heart (cardiac toxicity) of many of the standard treatments began to be iden- tified. As a result, the field of cardio-oncol- ogy was formed to help identify and assist with the management of cancer patients during their treatment. The purpose of a cardio-oncology clinic, now available at the more advanced cancer centers, is to monitor patients before, during and after cancer treatment in order to prevent or minimize potential cardiac injury while giving at-risk patients the best chance to complete optimal cancer therapy. Accompanying the cardio-oncology clinics are teams that consist of combined subspecialties including cardiology, medi- cal oncology, radiation oncology, echocar- diography and several additional support- ing members including nursing staff and a research team. Not all patients undergoing cancer therapy will require an evaluation by a cardio-oncology clinic, but assessing the CARDIO-ONCOLOGY: Protecting the Heart Before, During and After Cancer Treatment Heart disease and cancer are the top two leading causes of death in Louisiana and the United States. COLUMN ONCOLOGY