Published online Jul 26, 2014. doi: 10.4330/wjc.v6.i7.555
Revised: April 10, 2014
Accepted: May 14, 2014
Published online: July 26, 2014
Higher mortality rates are reported because of cardiovascular diseases in individuals living in industrialized areas of the World. In cancer patients, cardiotoxic chemotherapeutic agents and/or mediastinal radiotherapy are additional risk factors for the development of coronary artery disease. An improved survival rate for patients with Hodgkin lymphoma was reported in recent decades. Determining and handling the long-term effects of cancer treatment have become more important nowadays, parallel to the good results reached in survival rates. Mediastinal radiotherapy and cardiotoxic chemotherapeutic agents are routinely used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma but are commonly associated with a variety of cardiovascular complications. Drugs used in cancer treatment and radiotherapy may cause deleterious effects on contractile capacity and conduction system of the heart. Approximately ten years after the completion of all therapies, the cardiovascular disease risk peaks in patients who survived from Hodgkin lymphoma. The value of coronary computed tomography angiography as a diagnostic tool in determining coronary artery disease as early as possible is underlined in this review, in patients who are in remission and carry the risk of coronary artery disease probably because of chemo/radiotherapy used in their treatment. Survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma especially treated with combined chemoradiotherapy at younger ages are candidates for coronary computed tomography angiography.
Core tip: With substantial increase in survival rates from cancer, late adverse effects of cancer therapy have become extremely important. Mediastinal radiotherapy and cardiotoxic chemotherapeutic agents are routinely used to treat Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) but are commonly associated with a variety of cardiovascular complications including coronary artery disease (CAD). For surviving individuals after HL treatment, coronary computed tomography angiography is a non-invasive and useful method in detecting CAD at an early stage. Survivors of HL especially treated with combined chemoradiotherapy at young ages, who carry the risk of CAD development are candidates for coronary computed tomography angiography.