This seminar is part of the GHUCCTS KL2 Visiting Scholars Seminar Series. Wendy Bottinor, MD is an Assistant Professor in the School of Medicine's Department of Internal Medicine at Virginia Commonwealth University. Dr. Bottinor will discuss "Preventing and Treating Heart Dysfunction Related to Cancer Therapy."

Abstract: Heart disease is a leading cause of death among cancer survivors diagnosed during childhood, adolescence, or young adulthood. Childhood cancer survivors (CCS) are approximately seven times more likely to die from heart disease when compared with their peers who do not have a history of cancer. For adolescent and young adult survivors (AYAs),this risk is at least three times higher. Radiation treatment, heart-toxic chemotherapy, Non-Hispanic Black (NHB) race, and high blood pressure all increase this risk. Among CCS and AYAs with multiple risk factors, heart disease occurs more frequently than would be expected by adding the risks from individual risk factors together. The reason for this increased risk is poorly understood, however one possible explanation is that the combination of these risk factors causes faster damaging changes in heart tissue. Our goal is to understand the relationship between these risk factors to improve heart health in CCS and AYAs by helping to identify survivors at the highest risk for developing heart disease, and by providing opportunities to intervene with therapies for heart disease.

Dr. Wendy Bottinor, M.D., is currently a Wright Center KL2 Scholar and is initiating a trial to investigate the use of ARNIs among survivorswith Stage B heart failure.