[Cardiovascular morbidity in patients after treatment for testicular cancer]

Increase of incidence and favorable prognosis of testicular cancer are accompanied by growing evidence of late complications following antineoplastic treatment, such as cardiovascular diseases, peripheral neuropathy, renal damage, hearing impairment, secondary malignancies, pulmonary toxicity, gonadal dysfunction and bone mineral density abnormalities. During the last years a sufficient evidence has been accumulated that there is a higher incidence of cardiovascular diseases, particularly in patients treated with high-dose cisplatin chemotherapy or mediastinal irradiation. Acute myocardial infarction and angina pectoris are the most common from cardiovascular complications. Several authors have reported high prevalence of hypertension, dyslipidemia, metabolic syndrome, endothelial dysfunction and also an excessive increase of body mass index among patients being treated successfully for testicular cancer. Pathogenesis of the cardiovascular toxicity remains still unclear. At present there are no clear and widely accepted recommendations on follow-up management including late complications of treatment for testicular cancer. Early identification of cardiovascular risk factors and their treatment may improve quality and expectancy of their life.