Cardiovascular disease among pregnant women after anticancer therapy.

ABSTRACT

Recent advances in cancer therapies have enabled many women diagnosed with malignancies during childhood and adolescence to survive longer and therefore to reach an age where they wish to conceive. When providing cancer treatment such as anticancer drugs and radiotherapy, attention is often paid to preserving future fertility, but little is known about maternal pregnancy risks, and in particular cardiovascular complications. Recent studies have shown that cardiovascular diseases such as cardiomyopathy, heart failure, and arrhythmias often occur during and soon after anticancer therapy. This has led to the emergence of the specialized field of "onco-cardiology" or "cardio-oncology," in which oncologists and cardiologists collaborate, as well as the publication of multiple clinical practice guidelines. The interdisciplinary onco-cardiology team plays an important role in further improving the prognosis of cancer survivors. The current recommendation for women after anticancer therapy who wish to conceive is to undergo cardiovascular screening, regardless of whether there is a history of cardiovascular complications or not, in order to provide preconception counseling. Pregnancies in cancer-survivors, who experience cardiovascular complications, should be managed perinatally by a multidisciplinary team including obstetricians and cardiologists. Absence of cardiovascular disease on screening does not preclude the possibility that new cardiac dysfunction may occur during the perinatal period, especially in women with a history of high-dose anthracycline drug administration and/or radiation therapy. In such high-risk cases, follow-up of cardiac function throughout the perinatal period is required.