The impending epidemic of cardiovascular diseases in patients with cancer in Japan

Abstract

Onco-cardiology, a new academic field, aims to improve the quality of life and prognosis of cancer patients and survivors with cardiovascular diseases (CVD). With the aging of the population, an epidemic of cancer with CVD is emerging in developed countries. Cancer and CVD share risk factors, pathophysiology, treatments, and preventive and rehabilitative measures. A multidisciplinary team-based approach is needed to support cancer treatment to maximize its effectiveness and minimize its cardiotoxic potential. Basic and clinical onco-cardiology are already being practiced harmoniously. However, systematization in academia and clinical practice and accumulation of evidence have just started. In this review, we present the epidemiology, common risk factors between cancer and CVD, future epidemic of CVD in patients with cancer, and the necessity for an onco-cardiological approach to managing the burden of CVD in cancer patients and survivors.