Takotsubo cardiomyopathy (TCM) represents an acute systolic left ventricular dysfunction typically triggered by severe psychological or physical stress. Oncological patients due to emotional distress of the diagnosis, proinflammatory and prothrombotic nature of cancer and also physical stress often following complex anticancer therapies are at high-risk of TCM. Moreover, there are also few reports of TCM associated with oncological treatment, mostly chemotherapy. Recent data from large registries indicate a surprisingly high incidence of malignancy in TCM, significant differences in clinical characteristics and unfavorable short- and long-term clinical outcomes in this specific group of patients. Therefore, we present two case reports of TCM that occurred during active anticancer therapy. Both women were admitted with suspicion of acute coronary syndrome. The first patient underwent mastectomy two years before due to hormone receptor-positive breast cancer and on admission she was during adjuvant hormonotherapy with tamoxifen. The admission of the second patient was preceded by fifteen fractions of adjuvant external beam radiotherapy due to intermediate-risk endometrial cancer after radical hysterectomy. Based on coronary angiography type I of acute coronary syndrome was excluded. Both patients negated stressful situations in the period immediately before the symptoms onset. Within hospital course baseline apical ballooning observed in both cases fully recovered and enabled subsequent completion of oncological treatment in accordance with adopted treatment protocols without recurrence of TCM. To our knowledge, presented cases are the first reports showing direct relationship between TCM and adjuvant hormonotherapy with tamoxifen or pelvic radiotherapy.

Genetic research is playing an increasingly important role in cardiology. Inherited cardiovascular diseases which include cardiomyopathies, channelopathies, and familial thoracic aorta aneurysms and dissections, are major causes of sudden death in patients under 35 years of age, while familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is one of the leading causes of myocardial infarction before the age of 50. Genetic testing can determine the implementation of appropriate pharmacotherapy (e.g., for FH, cardiomyopathies, channelopathies), the implantation of a cardioverterdefibrillator (for channelopathies), or the timing of surgical procedures (for aortic diseases). Genetic test results are also crucial for the families of patients with hereditary cardiovascular diseases, as they allow for the identification of those at risk of sudden cardiac death. In this context, it is also important to create legal provisions for post-mortem molecular studies in patients who have died suddenly and are suspected of having a genetic etiology of the disease. The diagnosis of hereditary cardiovascular diseases requires the cooperation of a team of experts: a cardiologist, a radiologist, a clinical geneticist, and a diagnostician with the support of well-equipped laboratories. Leading role of the cardiologist is paramount in the diagnosis of cardiovascular diseases, particularly those not part of a malformation syndrome, and the cardiologist should also have the authority to decide on the necessity of genetic testing. Unfortunately, in Poland, there are still no comprehensive regulations on genetic testing that would organize the requirements for genetic diagnostics, the rights of doctors, diagnosticians, and patients.