Vanna Dest on Cardiac Toxicity Following Radiation Therapy

Article

Vanna Dest, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCN, from the Yale-New Haven Hospital, discusses cardiac toxicity in patients receiving radiation therapy.

Vanna Dest, MSN, APRN-BC, AOCN, Oncology Nurse Practitioner/Manager, Oncology APP, Yale-New Haven Hospital, discusses cardiac toxicity in patients receiving radiation therapy.

Cardiac toxicity is a big problem following radiation therapy, Dest says, particularly in patients with Hodgkin's lymphoma, left-sided breast cancer, and lung cancer. Age as well as combined modalities play a role in cardiac toxicity, as many patients are being treated with chemotherapy as well as radiation therapy.

Dest says that specific cardiac toxicities that need to be monitored include cardiomyopathy, coronary artery disease, valve changes, and conduction problems.

Newsletter

Stay up to date on recent advances in oncology nursing and patient care.

Recent Videos
Image of a woman wearing a patterned shirt in front of a dark blue background
Photo of a woman wearing a blazer in front of an Oncology Nursing News backdrop
3 experts in this video
3 experts in this video
Photo of a white man with curly hair and in front of a blue Oncology Nursing News backdrop
Related Content