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Building a Cardio-Onco-Hematology Program

  • Cardio-oncology (EH Yang, Section Editor)
  • Published:
Current Oncology Reports Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Purpose of Review

This review aims to outline the general principles of how to build a cardio-onco-hematology clinic, acknowledging that there are diverse practices ranging from private community settings to academic hospitals and each practice environment has to build its own program.

Recent Findings

The refinement of regimens and introduction of molecularly directed therapies have substantially increased survival rates for patients with cancer. In fact, a number of previous imminently fatal malignant disease processes have been turned into chronic diseases, such that patients now live with certain incurable cancers as they do, for instance, with rheumatoid arthritis. Improved cure rates and longer survivals have raised side effects of cancer treatments to a completely new level of significance. Cardiovascular toxicities are of particular concern given their impact on morbidity and mortality. In most extreme cases, patients might be cured from cancer but remain debilitated or die prematurely because of cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, not an insignificant proportion of cancer patients start cancer therapy with cardiovascular risk factors and diseases at baseline. With the aging of the population, this “joint venture” is only expected to increase with important implications for the management of cancer patients.

Summary

Given the need for familiarity with both, cancer and cardiovascular diseases and their ever-evolving start-of-the-art therapy and interaction potential, specialized efforts have been invoked, which may collectively be termed “onco-cardiology,” “cardio-oncology,” or “cardio-onco-hematology.” Herein, we provide recommendations for the creation and optimization of any such programmatic efforts.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Mayo Clinic, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, MN, 55905, USA

    Joerg Herrmann

  2. Department of Oncology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA

    Charles Loprinzi & Kathryn Ruddy

Authors
  1. Joerg Herrmann
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  2. Charles Loprinzi
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  3. Kathryn Ruddy
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Joerg Herrmann.

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Conflict of Interest

Joerg Herrmann, Charles Loprinzi, and Kathryn Ruddy declare they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Cardio-oncology

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Herrmann, J., Loprinzi, C. & Ruddy, K. Building a Cardio-Onco-Hematology Program. Curr Oncol Rep 20, 81 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-018-0725-7

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11912-018-0725-7

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