Cardiac Arrhythmias and Electrophysiology in Cardio-Oncology: Managing Rhythm Disorders across Modern and Advanced Cancer Therapies

The rapid evolution of oncological treatments, ranging from novel immune checkpoint inhibitors to advanced therapies like CAR-T cell infusion and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), has significantly improved cancer survival rates. However, these therapeutic milestones have introduced a complex spectrum of cardiovascular side effects. Among these, cardiac arrhythmias and conduction disorders are emerging as major, yet under-investigated, clinical challenges that directly impact patient outcomes and cancer treatment continuity.

While general cardiotoxicity and heart failure management in oncology have gained substantial attention, the specific mechanisms, predictive risk factors, and optimal management strategies for arrhythmias in cardio-oncology patients remain less defined. This Research Topic aims to address this critical gap by gathering high-quality, clinical and translational research focused on the intersection of cardiac electrophysiology and oncology.

We welcome submissions that address, but are not limited to, the following key themes:

• Pathophysiology & Mechanisms: Basic and translational insights into how modern cancer therapies (including immune checkpoint inhibitors, TKIs, and proteasome inhibitors) trigger arrhythmogenesis and conduction system disease.

• Clinical Arrhythmia Management: Best practices, clinical algorithms, and therapeutic strategies for managing atrial fibrillation, ventricular arrhythmias, and QTc prolongation in patients undergoing active cancer treatment.

• Advanced Cancer Therapies: Cardiovascular monitoring and electrophysiological considerations for patients receiving advanced cellular therapies (such as CAR-T and bispecific antibodies) or undergoing HSCT.

• Prevention and Risk Stratification: Identifying biomarkers, imaging modalities, and clinical risk scores to predict arrhythmia onset and guide cardioprotective strategies.

• Long-Term Survivorship: Post-cancer implications and long-term surveillance of rhythm disorders in cancer survivors.

By focusing specifically on cardiac rhythm management and advanced therapies, this collection will provide a highly specialized, practical resource for cardiologists, electrophysiologists, and oncologists looking to optimize patient care without interrupting essential cancer therapies.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review

Keywords: cardio-oncology, cardiac arrhythmias, conduction disorders, immune checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cell therapy, QTc prolongation, atrial fibrillation, hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, cardiac electrophysiology, cancer survivorship

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.