Developing a cardiology-oncology clinical practice guideline.
Clinical Practice Guidelines (CPG) have become an increasingly common method to assist practitioner and patient decisions about health care for specific medical problems. CPGs generally address a single medical diagnosis or syndrome leaving practitioners and patients with little guidance when two major medical diagnoses exist such as in the case of heart disease and cancer. As cancer and heart disease are both diseases of the elderly and share many common risk factors it is likely they will coexist in many patients. Thus screening for and preventing and treating heart disease in the cancer patient assumes increasing importance as aggressive cancer therapies are applied to older patients and as a growing number of cardiovascular side effects of anti-cancer therapy are described. Careful evaluation of heart disease in the cancer patient will likely improve quality of life but may also improve mortality as the presence or development of heart disease may significantly limit life-saving cancer therapies. The rationale, potential problems, and important steps in developing a cardiology-oncology guideline are discussed.
Lindenfeld
Joann
J
University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, F749, Room 7083, Aurora, CO 80045, USA. joann.lindenfeld@ucdenver.edu
Kelly
Patricia A
PA
D000368:Aged; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects; D015897:Comorbidity; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000628:therapy; D010348:Patient Care Team; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic; D011878:Radiotherapy / Q000009:adverse effects; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents