When planning the cancer treatment, your doctor will consider your risk for heart problems, the type of cancer treatment you need and the results from any heart tests.
If there are concerns about your heart health, your doctor may:
- change the type of cancer treatment to reduce the impact on the heart
- reduce the dose of the cardiotoxic drug so it works well against the cancer but is less likely to cause heart damage
- change how the drug is given. For example, chemotherapy given through a vein in your arm (intravenously) may be delivered more slowly
- prescribe heart medicines to be taken during, and sometimes after, cancer treatment. These can be to treat existing heart problems or to prevent them from developing. Research in this area is ongoing and new drugs may become available. Your doctor will talk to you about the best heart medicine for you.
Heart protection during radiation therapy
Radiation therapy has improved over time. Lower doses of radiation are now used to effectively treat the cancer while reducing the risk to other organs, including the heart.
If you need radiation therapy to the chest (e.g. for breast or lung cancer), the heart can be protected. Shielding in the radiation machine (called a linear accelerator) may be used to block radiation reaching the heart.
A special breathing technique is sometimes suggested. This is called a deep inspiration breath hold (DIBH). You will be asked to take a deep breath and hold it for about 20 seconds while the radiation is given. This technique helps move your heart away from the treatment area, protecting it from the radiation beams.
Even if many years have passed since the cancer treatment, always tell your health professional that you have had cancer and any treatments you had. Cancer will always be part of your medical history.
→ READ MORE: Cardiovascular tests you may have before treatment
Prof Bogda Koczwara, Director, Australian Research Centre for Cancer Survivorship, UNSW, NSW; Prof Aaron Sverdlov, Cardiologist and Co-Director, Newcastle Centre of Excellence in Cardio- Oncology, Hunter New England Health and The University of Newcastle, NSW; Dr Diana Adams, Medical Oncologist, Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre, NSW; Tamara Casey, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Breast Assessment Unit, Fiona Stanley Hospital, WA; Dr Daniel Chen, Cardiologist and Specialist in Cardio-Oncology, Prince of Wales and St George Hospitals, NSW; A/Prof Eng-Siew Koh, Radiation Oncologist, Liverpool Cancer Therapy Centre, Liverpool Hospital and University of NSW, NSW; Cynthia Leigh, Consumer; Dr David Mizrahi, Senior Research Fellow and Accredited Exercise Physiologist, The Daffodil Centre at Cancer Council NSW and The University of Sydney, NSW; Prof Doan Ngo, Co-Director, Newcastle Centre of Excellence in Cardio-Oncology, The University of Newcastle, Hunter Medical Research Institute, NSW; Peter O’Hearn, Consumer; Prof Nick Pavlakis, Medical Oncologist, Royal North Shore Hospital and Professor of Medicine, The University of Sydney, NSW; Deb Roffe, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA; Dr Lorcan Ruane, Cardiologist, The Prince Charles Hospital, QLD; Margaret Ryan, Nurse Practitioner, Cardio-Oncology Clinic, Prince of Wales Hospital, NSW; Dr Elysia Thornton-Benko, Specialist GP/Primary Care and Cancer Survivorship Physician, NSW; Helen Wardman, Consumer; Dr Trent Williams, Clinical Nurse Consultant, Cardiology, John Hunter Hospital, NSW; Dr Janice Yeh, Radiation Oncologist, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC; Megan Yong, Consumer.
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