The Role of Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance for Surveillance of Cardiac Performance upon Receipt of Potentially Cardiotoxic Cancer Therapeutics

Advancements in cancer treatment have resulted in improved cancer-related survival and consequently an increase in the number of cancer survivors. Unfortunately, associated with this increase in cancer-related survivorship, cardiac events have occurred with increasing frequency in cancer survivors. Recognition that cancer survivors are at increased risk for cardiovascular (CV) morbidity has generated interest to develop cardiac imaging techniques that identify subclinical CV disease during receipt of potentially cardiotoxic cancer treatment. Since subclinical cardiovascular disease precedes future cardiac events, early recognition of subclinical CV disease during receipt of potentially cardiotoxic cancer treatment offers the opportunity to initiate strategies that prevent further evolution of subclinical CV disease as well as cardiac events.

Cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) is an advanced imaging technique that identifies imaging markers of subclinical cardiovascular disease in patients receiving potentially cardiotoxic cancer treatment regimens. In this article, we review the use of CMR for identifying subclinical cardiac disease in patients receiving potentially cardiotoxic cancer treatment regimens. The ability of contemporary CMR to accurately define cardiac anatomy, function, and tissue characteristics may represent a critical tool to assess patients with cancer.