Cancer Treatments Linked to Heart Problems

Only certain cancer therapies are linked to heart troubles. These may include:

• Radiation therapy, especially when given to the chest because it’s so close to the heart
• Certain chemotherapy medicines, particularly anthracycline-based chemotherapy, though the amount used today is less than that used in previous decades
• Certain targeted therapies or newer immunotherapy drugs 

Other factors can play a role in how likely someone is to develop heart troubles as a side effect of their cancer treatments. For example, if you:

• Already have heart disease – that is, before finding out you have cancer
• Have risk factors for heart disease – such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, being overweight or smoking
• Older age
• Receive higher doses of chemotherapy or radiation therapy
• Are on more than one treatment known to have damaging effects on the heart (for example, chest radiation therapy in addition to an anthracycline-based chemotherapy and trastuzumab)