Screening tools for late-onset cardiomyopathy secondary to cancer treatment are lacking. Our findings support the use of cMRI for the evaluation of the left atrial volume, as an early marker of diastolic dysfunction, and myocardial delayed enhancement, as a marker of myocardial fibrosis and scaring. Longer follow-up and larger studies are still needed to better define the role of cMRI in the evaluation of childhood cancer survivors.
Our study demonstrated that severe liver iron overload as well as moderate myocardial iron overload can be found 1 year after cancer treatment and that this overload persists overtime. The patients with higher ITR and those who have received more than a liter of blood red cells per square meter, regardless of their diagnosis or ITR, are at risk of iron overload and should be screened carefully.
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