Cardio-Oncology Program
Children with cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy or stem cell transplant may develop certain heart issues — such as cardiomyopathy, blood pressure issues, or heart failure — due to their condition or the medications they are receiving.
In the Pediatric Cardio-Oncology Program at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg, Florida, our expert team provides comprehensive care to treat and manage these patients’ heart issues while they are also undergoing cancer treatment and beyond.
Why Choose Johns Hopkins All Children’s
The Pediatric Cardio-Oncology Program is led by pediatric cardiologist Alfred Asante-Korang, M.D., who has more than 20 years of experience treating congenital heart disease and heart transplant patients. Our board-certified pediatric cardiologists in the program work closely with our oncology team to provide continuity of care for our patients.
Within our dedicated program, we provide specialized care while ensuring that we are following the latest standard of care to best meet the needs of these patients.
What to Expect
Many of the patients in our program are current patients in our Cancer & Blood Disorders Institute or long-term cancer survivors receiving ongoing follow-up care.
For current patients of the cancer program, we provide evaluation, diagnosis, treatment and management for their heart issues while they are undergoing chemotherapy treatment or bone marrow engraftment (in which transplanted cells travel to the bone marrow to begin making new white and red blood cells and platelets) after a bone marrow transplant.
For many patients, their heart function improves and recovers by the end of their cancer treatment. However, some issues like cardiomyopathy (a disease of the heart muscle) may reoccur or develop later in life due to the long-term impact of chemotherapy treatment or bone marrow transplant. These patients will need to be followed by a cardiologist throughout their lives.