Experts have created the first international guidelines for cardiovascular care in pediatric patients undergoing treatment for cancer.
The guidelines, published in JACC: Advances, cover cardiovascular disease assessment, screening and follow-up for pediatric patients receiving cancer treatment. Previously, no guidelines existed for pediatric patients.
"Heart complications are a leading cause of death for childhood cancer survivors, second only to cancer relapse," Rachel Conyers, PhD, associate professor at Melbourne, Australia-based Murdoch Children's Research Institute, told New Medical. "Modern treatments including precision medicine have broadened the agents that can cause heart problems."
These guidelines could significantly reduce the harmful impact of cancer drugs on children's hearts, Dr. Conyers added.