Cardio-oncology is an emerging field of medicine. It focuses on detecting, monitoring, and treating heart conditions in people receiving cancer treatments. Cardio-oncology aims to lower the side effects of cancer treatments on your heart and blood vessels.

A cardio-oncologist is a cardiologist (heart doctor) or oncologist (cancer specialist) with additional training in treating heart disease in cancer patients.

Cancer treatments—chemotherapy and radiation therapy—can cause heart problems or worsen your condition if you already have one. These problems are known as cardiotoxicity or radiation heart disease.

Cardio-oncologists help manage a range of heart conditions, such as:

• Heart rhythm disorder (arrhythmias)
• Coronary artery disease
• Heart failure
• Heart valve disease
• High blood pressure (hypertension)
• Restrictive cardiomyopathy