Florida Hospital is launching a cardio-oncology initiative to prevent or reduce the adverse effects of chemotherapy and radiation on breast cancer patients’ hearts, the health system announced this week.
Funded by a $100,000 grant from the Hearts Foundation, the program is designed to monitor patients’ heart function by ultrasound imaging, and if there’s a sign of decline, a multidisciplinary team addresses the problem.
“When we care for patients, we can’t look at just the cancer or just the heart disease.
We need to treat the whole person, and this new initiative strengthens our holistic approach to healing,” said Dr. Patricia Guerrero, a cardiologist with Florida Heart Group and medical director of Florida Hospital’s women and cardiovascular disease program, in a news release.
A growing body of evidence shows that cancer treatments have negative long-term effects on vital organs like the heart. The damage can be caused by radiation to the chest or cancer medications that can affect the heart.
Source: orlandosentinel.com
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