Anyone who’s been through cancer treatment knows there are side effects that often go along with the powerful medicines used to treat the deadly disease. As advances in cancer therapies are enabling cancer patients to live longer, experts have discovered there is sometimes a link between cancer treatment and potential heart disease. That’s why Northeast Georgia Medical Center recently assembled a multi-disciplinary team to provide specialized heart care to patients with cancer before, during and after treatment.
“The goal of our cardio-oncology program is to help patients beat cancer while maintaining a healthy heart,” said Abhishek Gaur, MD, cardiologist and medical director of echocardiography at NGMC. “We combine state-of-the-art cardiac imaging with best practices for early diagnosis, prevention and treatment of heart problems associated with cancer therapy to improve the quality of life for cancer survivors.”
Dr. Gaur said that the cardiologists in the cardio-oncology program collaborate with oncologists, radiologists and other specialists to gather information on the patient’s heart health before cancer treatment begins. This arms patients with the information they need to help them choose the best cancer treatment options for them based on the condition of their hearts and their individual risk for heart disease. The physicians also develop methods for shielding the heart from damage during treatment, monitor the heart for signs the muscle is weakening, and help patients control their risk factors for heart disease after cancer therapy is complete.
“Cancer therapies are critical to destroying cancer cells, but some of those therapies can also produce toxins that decrease heart function or cause heart damage in the long run,” said Dr. Gaur. “The cardio-oncology program at NGMC is designed to give cancer patients the added confidence of knowing that as cancer cells are being destroyed, there are safeguards in place to protect their hearts.”
