Dr. Paaladinesh Thavendiranathan is a cardiologist at the Toronto General Hospital, University Health Network. He is a Professor of medicine at the University of Toronto and a Clinician Investigator. His training was in advanced cardiovascular imaging and his current clinical practice involves work with cardiac MRI, CT, and echocardiography. He is the Director of the Ted Rogers Program in Cardiotoxicity Prevention which focuses on cardiac toxicity from systemic therapies including cancer therapy. His research focus is in the use of advanced cardiac imaging techniques for detection and management of cardiac toxicity. He is an international expert in the field of Cardio-oncology.
Paaladinesh Thavendiranathan, MD, SM
One in two Canadians will develop cancer in their lifetime, with a vast majority requiring treatment. Due to the shared risk factors for both cancer and cardiovascular disease and the direct impact of cancer treatment on the heart and vasculature, cancer survivors have a 2–3 fold higher risk of cardiovascular disease than those without cancer. For older women who receive breast cancer treatment, the primary competing cause of death five years post-treatment is cardiovascular disease. The drivers of this risk are poorly understood and the ability to identify patients at risk has been difficult. Currently, there are no validated risk prediction algorithms to determine patient-specific risk of cardiovascular disease. Therefore, risk stratification is an urgent unmet need within the cardio-oncology field.
To address these knowledge gaps, Dr. Thavendiranathan's research program focuses on the following aims:
- identify reliable cardiac imaging and circulating biomarkers for predicting heart failure in individuals receiving cancer therapy
- discover novel drivers for vascular disease in cancer survivors
- develop a risk prediction algorithm for patient-specific cardiovascular disease risk stratification
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Professor, Department of Medicine, University of Toronto
Faculty Member, Institute of Medical Science, University of Toronto
Tier 2 Canada Research Chair in Cardio-Oncology