ECG Markers of Cardiovascular Toxicity in Adult and Pediatric Cancer Treatment

• Published in: Disease markers Vol. 2021; pp. 6653971 - 10
• Main Authors: Spînu, Ștefan, Cismaru, Gabriel, Boarescu, Paul-Mihai, Istratoaie, Sabina, Negru, Alina Gabriela, Lazea, Cecilia, Căinap, Simona Sorana, Iacob, Daniela, Grosu, Alin Ionut, Saraci, George, Burz, Claudia, Cismaru, Andrei Cosmin
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Hindawi 2021; Hindawi Limited
• Subjects: Angiography; Cancer; Cancer therapies; Cardiac arrhythmia; Cardiac stress tests; Cardiomyopathy; Cardiotoxicity; Chemotherapy; Echocardiography; Ejection fraction; EKG; Electrocardiography; Heart; Ischemia; Magnetic resonance imaging; Nervous system; Pediatrics; Review; Side effects; Sinuses; Toxicity
• ISSN: 0278-0240; 1875-8630
• DOI: 10.1155/2021/6653971

When a cardiologist is asked to evaluate the cardiac toxic effects of chemotherapy, he/she can use several tools: ECG, echocardiography, coronary angiography, ventriculography, and cardiac MRI. Of all these, the fastest and easiest to use is the ECG, which can provide information on the occurrence of cardiac toxic effects and can show early signs of subclinical cardiac damage. These warning signs are the most desired to be recognized by the cardiologist, because the dose of chemotherapeutics can be adjusted so that the clinical side effects do not occur, or the therapy can be stopped in time, before irreversible side effects. This review addresses the problem of early detection of cardiotoxicity in adult and pediatric cancer treatment, by using simple ECG recordings.