Speckle tracking echocardiography detects decreased cardiac longitudinal function in anthracycline-exposed survivors of childhood cancer.

Childhood cancer survivors exposed to low to moderate anthracycline doses had decreased longitudinal systolic and diastolic functions (TDI or STE) compared with healthy controls. The STE-based TMAD is a fast and reproducible method to assess cardiac longitudinal function. What is Known? • High anthracycline doses cause LV dysfunction as evidenced by a decreased ejection fraction. What is new? • Low to moderate anthracycline doses also have a negative impact on the LV and RV longitudinal systolic and diastolic function. • TMAD is a new and fast method to assess the cardiac longitudinal function after anthracycline exposure.