Cardio-Oncology is a growing field that seeks to merge cardiology and oncology fields to provide comprehensive care for patients before, during, and after cancer therapies. This is a complex interplay of inherent cardiovascular risk factors, potential cancer therapy-related toxicity, lifestyle effects, demographics, and social factors as well as genetics that interact to result in the development of cardiovascular diseases. The Krannert Institute of Cardiology seeks to balance these factors in order to allow the patient to get the best cancer care possible in the safest way possible.
The mission at Indiana University Cardio-Oncology Center for Excellence is to reduce the cardiovascular disease burden in patients with a history of cancer by providing high quality cardiovascular care to the oncology patient. The center seeks to engage in a multi-disciplinary patient care team with both cardiologists and oncologists to provide the best care prior to, during, and after cancer therapy. The goals are to identify those who are at high risk for developing cardiotoxicity before they receive their anticancer therapies and optimize their blood pressure and other hemodynamics prior to the start of their cancer therapies. The center works closely with oncology and radiation oncology colleagues when a patient starts their cancer therapies to monitor and identify potential cardiotoxicities that may arise during their treatment. The hope is to avoid any interruptions for cancer therapies. In cancer survivors, physicians continue to monitor patients for the late cardiovascular effects of their cancer therapies, which may manifest years or decades after the initial exposure. The patient is the center as providers work to provide the best cardiovascular care for the cancer patient.