Consumer Health: Chemotherapy and heart disease — is there a connection?

Chemotherapy works by killing rapidly dividing cancer cells. But chemotherapy also can destroy fast-growing healthy cells at the same time. This may cause side effects.

Some conventional chemotherapy drugs used to treat cancer also can increase your risk of heart problems later in life, including heart attack, stroke and high blood pressure.

Learn more about the risk of heart disease due to chemotherapy from Dr. Joerg Herrmann, a Mayo Clinic cardiologist.