Association of cancer and anticancer therapy with stress cardiomyopathy

Abstract

Cancer, a chronic malignancy is the ultimately cause of stress cardiomyopathy since its features are expressively precipitated by cancer-mediated physical and emotional stress. Just like an acute coronary disease or acute heart failure, stress cardiomyopathy or Takotsubo cardiomyopathy, is a clinical condition presenting severe chest pain as a major symptom. Physical, emotional or medical stress initiates the disorder with a condition of severe left ventricular systolic dysfunction. The emotional stress or anxiety associated with cancer malignancy diagnosis, prevailing stage of cancer itself and the physical stresses induced by surgical, radiation and systemic antineoplastic treatment of cancer are the major factors accelerating stress cardiomyopathy. Stress cardiomyopathy is progressively increasing in cancer patients and is an adverse consequence in such patients. In the current report, the stress syndrome being identified in cancer patients after systemic antineoplastic therapy has been reviewed. In the current report, information assembled and examined include clinical symptoms, electrocardiogram, laboratory information, transthoracic echocardiogram, coronary angiogram outcomes and patient consequences. Cancer patients are at amplified risk of developing stress syndrome/stress cardiomyopathy and it is extremely imperative to investigate the drugs involved in the progression of stress syndrome.