Leveraging Big Data and the EHR to Better Inform the Practice of Cardio-Oncology

Washington University cardiologist at Barnes-Jewish Hospital, Joshua Mitchell, MD, discusses the continually expanding field of available cancer therapies. It is evident that we need to continue to stay vigilant to monitor for cardiovascular effects. Randomized controlled trials are not sufficient on their own due to a large disparity between comorbidities of real-world patients and trial participants, as well as inadequate and inconsistent cardiovascular reporting. Big Data and the electronic health record therefore provide an important and necessary tool to help determine the real-world incidence and prevalence of cardiovascular toxicities of new cancer therapies as well as that of older therapies in the current treatment environment.