Challenges in Cardiovascular Imaging in Women with Breast Cancer

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Oncology
• Medical Imaging

Background:

• Cardiovascular imaging is crucial for monitoring cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD) in breast cancer patients.
• Existing surveillance methods for CTRCD have limitations and lack a universally accepted definition.
• Reconstructive surgery in breast cancer patients presents unique challenges for cardiovascular imaging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To outline the specific challenges in cardiovascular imaging for breast cancer patients.
• To review the evidence supporting various imaging modalities for CTRCD detection.
• To propose solutions for enhancing cardiovascular imaging in this population.

Main Methods:

• Review of current clinical guidelines and literature on CTRCD surveillance.
• Analysis of traditional and novel multi-modality imaging techniques.
• Discussion of echocardiography with myocardial strain as a primary tool.

Main Results:

• Updated guidelines promote unified CTRCD surveillance, but a standard definition is still lacking.
• Multi-modality imaging, including echocardiography with myocardial strain, can detect CTRCD and myocarditis.
• Cardiovascular imaging is complicated by factors such as reconstructive surgery.

Conclusions:

• Effective cardiovascular imaging in breast cancer patients requires addressing unique challenges.
• While echocardiography is foundational, multi-modality approaches are valuable for evaluating CTRCD and myocarditis.
• There is a need for innovative imaging techniques to improve the diagnosis of cardiotoxicities in breast cancer survivors.