An article published in the "Journal of the National Cancer Institute" in December 2009 (republished on medicinenet.com in December 2009), suggests that the field of cardio-oncology is relatively new and has not yet undergone its full stages of development. The article summarizes a review of the medical research published by Italian medical professionals who suggest the need for the creation of a new interdisciplinary field known as cardio-oncology. As the "Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics" noted, however, in March 2010, understanding cardio-oncology as the the simple marriage of these two fields (oncology and cardiology) is a bit of a misnomer. Instead, the article suggests that cardio-oncology is a "pharmacology-oriented translational discipline." In other words, the heavy reliance upon pharmaceutical treatment during and after the treatment of cancer is essential to the continued development of the discipline.
The need for a new discipline like cardiac oncology suggests that potential risk factors have been recognized in the treatment of cancer patients, both during treatment and after cancerous masses have been removed. For example, the University of Kansas Breast Cancer Survivorship Center lists several risk factors for post-breast cancer patients: high-dose chemotherapy, hypertension, family history, a history of left chest wall radiation treatment, herceptin chemotherapy and anthracycline-based chemotherapy.
One of the major needs for further research in this field, as suggested by the "Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics" and by researchers at a 2009 symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, is to study the possible toxic side effects of certain pharmaceutical treatments. Because the field is still in development, much research needs to be conducted to see which drugs work best and which ones are potentially harmful.
Prevention of heart disease within the framework of cancer treatment can be essential to successful treatment and survival of the effects of chemotherapy. Again, the "Journal of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics" suggests that many of the potential side effects of treatment might be avoided if prevention is considered first and foremost. Knowing risk factors and avoiding treatment in patients with high-risk factors may prove helpful, but knowing which pharmaceutical treatments also produce the least risk is one way to avoid potential complications.
The 2009 symposium of the American Society of Clinical Oncology also suggested that the establishment of a "dedicated cardiac oncology clinic" using "targeted therapies" can potentially lessen the potential for toxicity brought on by pharmaceutical treatment. By carefully monitoring the progress of the patient and avoiding potentially toxic treatments, the researchers suggest that successful treatment can occur.