Cardio-Oncology Program

Thanks to advances in treatment, more children, teenagers, and young adults survive cancer than ever before. However, cancer and cancer treatments can cause medical problems that can begin while a child is still being treated or develop many years afterward. Our Cardio-Oncology Program works to prevent, identify, monitor, and treat heart-related complications, which are a leading threat to childhood cancer survivors’ health.

Our team will create a care plan that makes sense for your child’s needs and interests. Our outpatient services regularly monitor the heart health of children experiencing mild effects, or children who are at risk for developing heart conditions. While it is rare for children to need inpatient care for cancer-related cardiac conditions, we also offer extensive services for those that do.

Our Cardio-Oncology program is part of our nationally recognized After Cancer Experience (ACE) Program, which was one of the first programs in the U.S. dedicated to addressing the unique needs of childhood cancer survivors.

Streamlined Care, All in One Place

The Cardio-Oncology team brings together cardiologists, oncologists, nurse practitioners, dieticians and psychologists who have specialized experience in working with children who are receiving – or have undergone – cancer treatment. These experts work together to manage all aspects of your child’s cardiac care under one roof.

At Children’s Health, our centralized care model makes it easier to schedule your child’s appointments and helps them get all the care they need, all on the same day and at the same place. It also makes it easier for our team of experts to meet regularly and discuss your child’s care.

Top-of-the-line Tools and Techniques

Combining our team’s expertise with the latest diagnostic technology and treatments makes us one of the best-equipped pediatric hospitals for treating pediatric cancer-related heart conditions. In addition to the standard echocardiography (ECHO), electrocardiography (EKG) testing, and Holter monitoring seen at most clinics, we offer access to other high-tech tools such as:

• Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMRI)

• Cardio-pulmonary stress tests

• Ventricular assist device (VAD)

We are one of very few pediatric hospital programs in the nation to offer mechanical circulatory support in the form of VAD support to children who are hospitalized from serious, immediate cardiac effects from their cancer treatment. VAD helps support your child’s heart while your child completes their cancer treatment. The decision to support a patient with VAD warrants careful consideration based on oncologic prognosis, reversibility of cardiac disease among other patient related factors.

Heart Health for the Long Haul

Our expert team provides screening, prevention and treatment not only throughout your child’s cancer treatment, but for as long as necessary afterward. Our goal is to ensure every child we treat has the best possible cardiovascular care throughout their life. This might include:

• Certain medications

• Routine follow ups

• Counseling on nutrition and exercise

• Self-care guidance for mental health and wellbeing

Our program focuses on putting your child on a healthy path to adulthood by teaching them healthy habits. And as your child approaches adulthood, we begin transitioning them to an adult program at UT Southwestern where they can continue to access critical cardiac care after cancer.

Leading Research Advances

Your child may be invited to participate in our active research program. Through our partnership with UT Southwestern, our program is the only academically affiliated pediatric program in North Texas. That means our team leads unique research projects to advance knowledge about how cancer treatment affects a child's heart.

Our specialists lead clinical trials for the Children's Oncology Group aimed at improving treatments for long-term side effects of cancer. We have also been a part of the National Cancer Institute's