The signs that let you know if you have cardiotoxicity include dizziness, distention of the stomach, fluid retention in the legs, heart palpitations, chest pain and shortness of breath.
Cardiotoxic means any type of heart damage that arises from cancer treatments.
Cardiotoxicity is most common in people that have used a specific chemotherapy or targeted therapy drugs.
The cardiotoxicity can also develop in people that have had radiation therapy to their chest.
The symptoms of cardiotoxicity include.
Shortness of breath.
Chest Pain.
Heart palpitations.
Fluid retention in the legs.
Distention of the stomach.
Dizziness.
Drugs that are considered cardiotoxic are several different well established and newer anticancer therapies such as anthracyclines, trastuzumab and other HER2 receptor blockers, antimetabolites, alkylating agents, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs), angiogenesis inhibitors, and checkpoint inhibitors are associated with significant cardiotoxicity.
The most common medications used for cardiotoxicity treatment include Beta-blockers, which slow down a person's heart rate, lower a person's blood pressure and strengthen the heart muscle can reduce palpitations and arrhythmias, hypertension and heart failure.
Cardiotoxicity may be reversible.
Research has shown that cardiotoxicity that arises after using trastuzumab may be reversible.
Cardiotoxicity that arises from anthracycline use is often not reversible and requires long-term treatment.