Cardiovascular follow-up outpatient clinic and cardiovascular follow-up notebook for cancer survivor

Cardiovascular risk in cancer survivors is reported to be 2.8 times higher than in non-cancer patients, and survivors are expected to increase in the future due to the development of cancer treatment strategies. It is sometimes experienced that resumes using anthracyclines, which have a limited cumulative dose, are being administered for different cancer in a same patient. The management of the cumulative dose is needed to improve prognosis for cancer survivors, however, the details of previous treatment history may not be available for patients with different cancers at different times, sometimes in different hospitals. Long-term care of cardiovascular complications after completion of cancer treatment is one of the key considerations in cancer hospitals, but the system has not yet been established.

To prevent cardiovascular complications in adult cancer survivors, detect them in the early stages and prevent the development of severe cancer therapeutics-related cardiac dysfunction and other cardiovascular complications, our hospital established the ‘Cardiovascular Follow-up Outpatient Clinic for Cancer Survivors’ in October 2024.

Survivors with a history of treatment with cardiovascular toxic cancer pharmacotherapy or mediastinal/left thoracic radiotherapy are eligible for the Cardiovascular Follow-up Outpatient Clinic. Patients who have been treated for cancer in other hospitals are also eligible. It is important to share information about the risk of late cardiovascular complications not only with the medical staff but also with the survivors themselves. We have produced a ‘Cardiovascular Follow-up Notebook’, the main purpose of which is to unify the management of information on cancer treatment history. The main contents are the history of cardiovascular toxic medication, cumulative dose and history of radiotherapy. When the patient visits the Cardiovascular Follow-up Outpatient Clinic, the notebook is given to the patient with information on cancer treatment history, diseases and lifestyle habits that are associated with cardiovascular risks and recommended follow-up time for echocardiography and other examination. Patients themselves fill in the non-cancer history, etc., and this is a lifelong notebook that is written and created together by the medical staff and the cancer survivor.

The Cardiovascular Follow-up Notebook facilitates information sharing between medical staff and cancer survivors, and the format will be available for download from the website of the regional cancer care coordination council from April 2025 onwards. We hope that the cardiovascular follow-up outpatient clinic and cardiovascular follow-up notebook will spread worldwide, and that late-stage severe cardiovascular complications can be avoided and a better long-term quality of life can be maintained for all cancer survivors in the future.