Is it true that chemotherapy can damage my heart?

Q: Is it true that chemotherapy can damage my heart? 

A: Some chemotherapy drugs may damage heart muscles. This can lead to problems that may appear shortly after treatment or years later. Some damage is mild and detectable only through testing; other may be severe, resulting in conditions such as congestive heart failure. Limiting the cumulative dose of heart-damaging drugs helps prevent cardiac problems, as does giving smaller doses more frequently or taking an additional drug specially formulated to reduce damage.

Talk with your doctor about any possible cardiac effects from the medication you are being given. If you are to receive a chemotherapy drug that has the possibility of weakening the heart muscle, a baseline measurement of your heart function will be ordered through an echocardiogram or MUGA scan. These are noninvasive tests that can be performed at your hospital outpatient department or in a cardiologist's office.
--Bernice Crook, RN, OCN

Learn more about cardiac problems and other long-term side effects from treatment.