Cardiac Dysfunction and Heart Failure in Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation Survivors: Emerging Paradigms in Pathophysiology, Screening, and Prevention

Abstract

Hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) has been used for curative intent in patients with hematologic and nonhematologic malignancies, resulting in an increasing number of HCT survivors. These survivors are at risk for serious and life-threatening complications, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). This article provides an overview of CVD in HCT survivors, describing the pathophysiology of disease, with a special emphasis on therapeutic exposures and comorbidities unique to this population. This article also discusses novel screening and prevention strategies that have shown promise in non-HCT cancer populations, emphasizing opportunities for collaboration between cardiologists and hematologists to improve the cardiovascular health of HCT survivors.

Keywords: Cardiac dysfunction; Heart failure; Hematopoietic cell transplantation; Pathophysiology; Prevention; Screening; Survivors.