The Current and Future Role of Echocardiography for the Detection of Cardiotoxicity Related to Cancer Therapy.

Purpose of the Review: The purpose of this review is to outline the role of echocardiography in identifying patients at increased cardiovascular risk for cancer treatment-associated cardiotoxicity. Recent Findings: With a wide array of cancer therapeutics, a variety echocardiographic cardiotoxicity phenotypes have been identified. Recent consensus statements from several professional societies have provided a framework for risk assessment prior to cancer therapy that involves assessment and optimization of cardiac risk factors but also involves echocardiographic evaluation of left ventricular (LV) function at baseline, during, and after treatment. While newer echocardiographic techniques such as global longitudinal strain are key to detecting subclinical cardiotoxicity, it is as yet unclear if strain-directed initiation of cardioprotective medications will result in better outcomes. This is the subject of an ongoing clinical trial, the results of which are eagerly awaited. Given the serial nature of echocardiographic assessments in the cancer population, the application of automated techniques for ejection fraction and strain may have the potential to further reduce measurement variability and are also subjects of ongoing research. Summary: Echocardiography is the preferred imaging modality for the detection of cardiotoxicity related to cancer therapy. Our expanded understanding of the cardiac side effects of cancer therapy and optimal surveillance strategies for those at risk is predicated on the ascertainment of cardiac outcomes in future clinical trials, for which echocardiography will undoubtedly play a pivotal role. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]