Heart Failure

Advances in cancer therapies have led to a global improvement in patient survival rates. Nevertheless, the price to pay is a concomitant increase in cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality in this population. Increased inflammation and disturbances of the immune system are shared by both cancer and CV diseases. Immunological effects of anti-cancer treatments occur with both conventional chemotherapy and, to a greater extent, with novel biological therapies such as immunotherapy. For these reasons, there is growing interest in the immune system and its potential role at the molecular level in determining cardiotoxicity. Early recognition of these detrimental effects could help in identifying patients at risk and improve their oncological management. Non-invasive imaging already plays a key role in evaluating baseline CV risk and in detecting even subclinical cardiac dysfunction during surveillance. The aim of this review is to highlight the role of advanced cardiovascular imaging techniques in the detection and management of cardiovascular complications related to cancer treatment.

This publication features key outcome data from the PREFECT study demonstrating MyoStrain's ability to help clinicians detect and predict early cardiotoxicity in patients undergoing cancer therapy. These findings highlight MyoStrain as an accurate and sensitive assessment that may enable cardio-oncologists to implement cardio-protective strategies for cancer patients.

This abstract utilizes MyoStrain in the early detection of cardiotoxicity for patients undergoing oncology treatment, as compared to echocardiography. The abstract also examines the effectiveness of cardio-protection, utilizing MyoStrain to monitor and manage the effects of cardioprotective therapy on patient heart function.

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) is the gold standard for the diagnostic classification and risk stratification in most patients with cardiac disorders. The aim of the present study was to investigate the ability of Strain-encoded MR (SENC) for the prediction of major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE).

This study investigated the use of layer-specific fast strain-encoded cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (fSENC) for diagnosing and prognosticating acute myocardial injury in emergency department patients. It found that global longitudinal strain (GLS) and GLSdifference (the difference between epicardial and endocardial GLS) were effective predictors, with GLS showing a high diagnostic accuracy (AUC 91.8%) for myocardial injury. GLSdifference performed well in identifying non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) specifically (AUC 83.2%), and combining these measures with assessment of dysfunctional segments improved diagnostic performance further (AUC 87.5%). Incorporating fSENC into standard care enhanced overall diagnostic accuracy significantly (AUC 95.5%) compared to conventional methods alone. The study suggests that layer-specific strain analysis could serve as a valuable diagnostic tool for acute myocardial injuries, offering insights into prognosis and potentially guiding clinical management.

Several studies show a low (1-3%) but real risk of myocarditis in competitive athletes after SARS-CoV-2 infection.