Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1179876
Ramping Up Cardiac Care BY K ATY MENA-BERKLEY INCRE A SING CANCER SURVIVORSHIP ME ANS HE ALTHCARE PROVIDERS ARE ENCOUNTERING NE W CHALLENGES IN CARDIAC HE ALTH, UNDERSCORING THE NEED FOR ADDITIONAL SUBSPECIALISTS IN CARDIO-ONCOLOGY. ACCORDING TO THE American Cancer Society, by 2026, an estimated 20 million people in the United States will be cancer survivors. Roughly half of cancer survivors as of 2016 were ages 70 or older. Experts in cardio-oncology recently authored a paper, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, highlighting efforts to respond to the growing need for cardio-oncology care as the negative cardiovascular effects of some life-extending cancer treatments become more apparent. Cardio-oncology training equips providers to balance patients' oncologic and cardiovascular needs before, during and after treatment, co-senior author Ana Barac, MD, PhD, states in a news release about the paper. FOR "Examples of clinical strategies include pre-therapy risk stratification and cardiovascular health optimization, per- sonalizing cancer therapy based on the cardiovascular risk profile, and the diagnosis and treatment of a widening array of therapy-related cardiovascular complications," says Dr. Barac, Director of the Cardio-Oncology Program at MedStar Heart & Vascular Institute in Washington. CRITICAL TRAINING Cardio-oncology care is on the rise, according to the paper. A survey by the authors found that in 2014, 27% of accredited general cardiology fellowship programs were part of institutions that provided cardio-oncology services. Today, 51% of those programs are affiliated with institutions that have dedicated cardio-oncology services. The survey also found that 33% of respondents plan to add cardio-oncology care to their programs. Yet only nine of the institutions providing cardio-oncology services also offer dedicated cardio-oncology training. "Some leaders do not notice the need, and some do. There are varying levels of interest," Tochi M. Okwuosa, DO, FACC, FAHA, Cancer Survivors 1 2 1 2❱❱❱❱❱ S P E C I A L C L I N I C A L F E A T U R E : O N C O L O G Y