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Review
. 2021 Dec 2:16:e45.
doi: 10.15420/ecr.2021.44. eCollection 2021 Feb.

Palpitations in the Cancer Patient

Hani Essa  1 , Gregory Yh Lip  1   2
Affiliations
Review

Palpitations in the Cancer Patient

Hani Essa et al. Eur Cardiol. .

Abstract

Cancer and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are among the leading causes of death worldwide. In response to the growing population of cancer patients and survivors with CVD, the sub-specialty of cardio-oncology has been developed to better optimise their care. Palpitations are one of the most common presenting complaints seen in the emergency room or by the primary care provider or cardiologist. Palpitations are defined as a rapid pulsation or abnormally rapid or irregular beating of the heart and present a complex diagnostic entity with no evidence-based guidelines currently available. Palpitations are a frequent occurrence in people with cancer, and investigations and treatment are comparable to that in the general population although there are some nuances. Cancer patients are at a higher risk of arrhythmogenic causes of palpitations and non-arrhythmogenic causes of palpitations. This review will appraise the literature with regards to the development and management of palpitations in the cancer patient.

Keywords: Cardio-oncology; arrhythmia; atrial fibrillation; chemotherapy; oncology; palpitations; prolonged QTc.

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Conflict of interest statement

Disclosure: GL reports consultancy and speaker fees from Bayer, Bayer/Janssen, BMS/Pfizer, Biotronik, Medtronic, Boehringer Ingelheim, Microlife, Roche and Daiichi-Sankyo outside the submitted work. No fees are received personally. HE has no conflicts of interest to declare.

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