The short answer
Cardio-oncology is the specialty that manages heart health for people having cancer treatment. Certain chemotherapy drugs, HER2-targeted therapies, immunotherapy, and chest radiation can stress or damage the heart, so this care combines cardiology and oncology expertise before, during, and after treatment.
Cardio-oncology is a specialty combining cardiology and oncology expertise, focused on protecting heart health during and after cancer treatment.
Several cancer treatments can affect the heart, including anthracycline chemotherapy drugs, HER2-targeted therapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and radiation to the chest.
A cardio-oncologist can monitor heart function before treatment starts, during treatment, and afterward, especially for people receiving higher-risk therapies.
Practical steps include discussing your personal heart risk before treatment, keeping track of treatments and doses received, and going to recommended follow-up heart tests.
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Some cancer treatments can affect the heart. This page is for patients and caregivers who want to know which treatments carry that risk, how the heart is watched, and what you can do to protect it.
A specialty at the crossroads of two fields
Cardio-oncology exists because cancer treatment and heart health are more connected than people expect. The American Cancer Society quotes cardio-oncologist Dr. Avirup Guha: "With help from cardio-oncology, patients can often complete their cancer therapy, even in situations where therapy may have been stopped in the past."
A cardio-oncologist is a specialist in heart health during cancer care. They work alongside your oncology team, not apart from it.
Which treatments can affect the heart
Several kinds of cancer treatment carry a known risk to heart health. Not everyone who has them develops heart problems.
- Anthracycline chemotherapy drugs are used across many cancer types. They are one of the treatments linked to heart effects.
- HER2-targeted therapies block the HER2 protein and are also linked to heart effects.
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors, a type of immunotherapy, are also linked to heart effects.
- Radiation therapy aimed at the chest can affect the heart. Ask your team how much heart exposure your plan involves.
Having one of these treatments does not mean you will develop heart problems. But it does mean heart monitoring may be a reasonable part of your care plan. Sometimes it is standard.
What cardio-oncology monitoring looks like
For people on higher-risk treatments, monitoring often starts before treatment does. Your team checks a baseline of heart function. That is usually an echocardiogram, a type of heart ultrasound. Other tests can include blood tests for troponin, an electrocardiogram (ECG), and a wearable heartbeat monitor. More checks may follow during treatment. After treatment, the American Cancer Society describes testing at about one year, then yearly or every few years depending on risk. The schedule depends on your treatment and your own risk factors.
The goal is to catch any change in heart function early. With cardio-oncology help, many people can finish cancer treatment that might once have been stopped.
What you can do
Monitoring is your team's job, but there are steps you can take too. The American Cancer Society suggests these steps.
- Ask your care team whether your treatment plan carries a known heart risk. Ask whether a cardio-oncologist should be involved.
- Keep a personal record of the cancer treatments and doses you have received. That detail matters for your heart care now, and years from now.
- Go to any recommended follow-up heart testing, even after cancer treatment ends.
- Keep up heart-healthy habits: regular activity, balanced meals, no tobacco, and enough sleep. These support your heart whether or not your treatment carries a cardiac risk.
When to get help sooner
- Call 911 or go to an emergency department if you have chest pressure, squeezing, fullness or pain that lasts more than a few minutes, or sudden trouble breathing. Discomfort in an arm, the back, the shoulders, the neck, the jaw or the upper stomach counts as well, and so does breathlessness on its own. MedlinePlus is clear that you should call even if you are not sure it is a heart attack. The American Cancer Society also names chest pain and shortness of breath during treatment as things to report. Do not drive yourself.
- Call your care team the same day if you notice palpitations, a heart that races or flutters, or new swelling anywhere. The American Cancer Society names palpitations and swelling during treatment among the things to report.
- Call your care team within a day or two if you have become breathless doing things that were comfortable a few weeks ago. Also call if you miss a scheduled heart check and need it rebooked.
Sources
Common questions
What is cardio-oncology?
Cardio-oncology is a specialty that combines cardiology (heart care) and oncology (cancer care) expertise. Cardio-oncologists focus on how cancer treatments affect the heart, and they work to protect heart health while still allowing effective cancer treatment to happen.
Which cancer treatments can affect the heart?
Several types of treatment carry some risk to the heart, including anthracycline chemotherapy drugs (used for many cancers), HER2-targeted therapies, immune checkpoint inhibitors (a type of immunotherapy), and radiation therapy aimed at the chest.
Does having one of these treatments mean I'll have heart problems?
No. These treatments carry a risk, not a certainty. Cardio-oncology care exists to watch the heart, so patients can often complete cancer treatment.
What does cardio-oncology monitoring actually involve?
It typically includes checking heart function before starting a higher-risk treatment, to establish a baseline, and then periodic testing during and after treatment, often an echocardiogram (a heart ultrasound), and sometimes blood tests, an ECG or a wearable monitor. Your oncology team will let you know if this kind of monitoring applies to your specific treatment plan.
What can I do to protect my heart during cancer treatment?
Ask your care team about your personal heart risk before starting treatment, keep a record of exactly which treatments and doses you've received (this matters for future care), attend any recommended heart-monitoring appointments, and maintain general heart-healthy habits — regular physical activity, balanced eating, avoiding tobacco, and adequate sleep — both during and after treatment.
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Last updated: 2026-10-02Next planned review: 2027-02-03
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Cancer Explained does not originate medical claims. Every page restates guidance already published by the National Cancer Institute, the CDC, the USPSTF and the FDA, in plain language, with the source cited so you can check the original yourself. AI does the translating and organizing; automated checks test claims, citations, clarity and safety before anything publishes, and this is translation and navigation, not clinical judgment. Nothing here is personal medical advice, and no page can account for your particular situation.
Editorial status: Source checked — This page was written with AI assistance and then compared with the sources listed on it, looking for statements those sources do not back up. That check is not a sentence-by-sentence record and can miss errors. It is not a medical review, and it does not confirm the page is complete or right for your situation.
Human medical review: not completed. Pages here are not signed off by a clinician before they publish. That is not an oversight we are quietly working around: we restate published guidance and cite it, so the authority belongs to the source rather than to us, and every page names where its claims come from — you can verify us instead of trusting us. Where a volunteer clinician has reviewed a page, their name and credentials appear on it; where no name appears, no clinician has checked it. We are glad to have reviewers and are recruiting them, and we do not hold pages back waiting for one. Use this site to understand your situation and to ask better questions of the people treating you.
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