The Effects of Radiation & Chemo on the Heart

Cancer patients often receive radiation and chemo in combination. Both can cause heart complications, including weakness of the heart muscle, or cardiomyopathy, and heart attack.

• Radiation and chemo can negatively affect the heart.

Risk Factors

• Pre-existing heart problems, high blood pressure, previous radiation to the chest and smoking all raise the risk for heart damage during radiation therapy and chemo.

Frequency

• Anthracyclines drugs have the highest frequency of heart damage. Other chemo drugs have a frequency of approximately 1 in 10.

Symptoms

• Fluid retention in the hands or feet, dizziness, dry cough and irregular heartbeat can all indicate heart damage. In the case of heart attack, you will feel pains in the upper body, nausea or a cold sweat.

Prevention/Solution

• Before treatment, doctors will screen patients for major heart problems. During treatment, doctors will routinely check the heart's functioning and closely monitor the dosage of radiation or chemo drugs.

Expert Insight

• Mayo Clinic medical oncologist Timothy Moynihan, M.D, stresses the severity of heart attack symptoms. If you experience any symptoms of a heart attack during radiation or chemo, inform your doctor immediately.