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Inova Cardio-Oncology Program

Inova Schar Heart and Vascular has partnered with Inova Schar Cancer to establish a cardio-oncology program to help patients avoid cardiotoxicity from chemotherapy and radiation treatments. Cardiovascular effects from cancer treatment can develop years later and are the second leading cause of death among cancer survivors. Improvements in early detection and cancer treatments have resulted in an increasing number of long-term cancer survivors, which increases the importance of involving a cardiologist before, during and following cancer treatments to help avoid negative cardiovascular effects.

Who are we?

We are a team of experts in maintaining heart health during and after cancer treatment. We work together with oncologists and other physicians as part of multidisciplinary patient care.

Who may benefit?

Conditions and risks:

  • Patients with cardiovascular risk factors that may result in complications during cancer treatment. They may include history of elevated blood pressure, elevated lipids (cholesterol), diabetes, or history of heart failure, heart attack or rhythm problems prior to treatment.
  • Patients who will be receiving cancer treatment that poses risk to the heart (also known as cardiotoxicity).
  • Patients who experience heart problems while receiving cancer treatment
  • Patients with history of prior cancer treatment that need heart function monitoring or have symptoms of heart problems
  • Patients with cardiac tumors

Who qualifies for this program?

The program initially began as a pilot for patients with breast cancer and has now expanded to other cancer types. New cancer patients receiving certain higher risk treatments will undergo cardiovascular risk stratification, an ongoing process of assigning patients an individualized risk status. The physicians involved in the initiative have developed standardized protocols for prevention, detection and monitoring during treatment and how to treat cardiotoxicity if it occurs.

These protocols include:

  • Monitoring patients using echocardiograms with strain imaging (to assess early left ventricular dysfunction) and cardiac biomarker blood testing
  • Performing preoperative cardiovascular assessment before cancer surgery
  • Determining cardiotoxicity risk depending on prescribed chemotherapy and radiotherapy, altering/substituting therapies as needed
  • Screening for signs of previous cardiovascular disease
  • Implementing guideline-directed medical therapy for patients with preexisting left ventricular dysfunction or cases that develop during treatment
  • Discussing the importance of exercise with patients who are undergoing cancer treatment
  • Initiating multidisciplinary discussions with patients’ oncologists regarding monitoring and treatment

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