Dr Crystal S. Denlinger on Cardio-Oncology Follow-Up

New guidelines from the National Comprehensive Cancer Network regarding cardiac toxicity for patients with cancer or cancer survivors should have cancer institutions talking about how to implement cardiac follow-up for patients, said Crystal S. Denlinger, of FOx Chase Cancer Center.

Transcript (slightly modified)

How does Fox Chase Cancer Center follow-up on potential cardiac toxicity for patients with cancer and cancer survivors?

We don't have a defined cardio-oncology follow-up program; we have cardiologists who are interested in cardio-oncology who are people we routinely refer our cardiac patients or patients who have concerns about heart disease to this group. With the unveiling of the new guideline [from that National Comprehensive Cancer Network] there is certainly a lot more talk at Fox Chase about developing some algorithm or some programmatic pathway that could potentially result in a more structured program.

I think every institution has different resources and different needs. At our institution, our cardiology group is an affiliated practice, not necessarily housed within Fox Chase, and so we use them to take care of our patients where cardiac diseases are either found or where they may be at risk for cardiac diseases. So it's not a formal program, but there is infrastructure within Fox Chase for patients who have cardiac needs after treatment or on treatment.