Archbold cardiologist Kashyap Choksi, MD, PhD, FASNC becomes one of only 78 physicians in the world to earn Cardio-Oncology certification. Cardiologists with a Cardio-Oncology certification are trained to evaluate and treat patients who have heart disease or who are at risk for heart disease before, during, and after cancer treatment.
“This is such a unique opportunity to treat patients who are undergoing oncological treatments and have a lot of cardiovascular risk factors that may go untreated or unrecognized,” said Dr. Choksi. “This is an unmet need for our patients and now we have someone locally who can actually bridge the gap.”
The International Cardio-Oncology Society (ICOS) recently began offering the certification for qualifying physicians. Dr. Choksi is only the second class to graduate with the Cardio-Oncology certification from ICOS. He passed the exam at the end of October 2020 and immediately began coordinating patient care between himself and Archbold’s oncologists at the Lewis Hall Singletary Oncology Center.
“Dr. Choksi has provided guidance and guidelines as to the type of patients we should refer to see him and together we work to take care of the patients,” said Archbold medical oncologist Esther Tan, MD.
Dr. Choksi and the oncology physicians work together in a multidisciplinary setting to ensure patients receive the most appropriate cancer therapy, while minimizing their risk of heart complications.
“Ultimately, this can help reduce delays in chemotherapy or delays in treatment and improve outcomes,” said Archbold medical oncologist Josh Simmons, MD, FACP. “A lot of major U.S. cities currently don’t have access to a cardio-oncologist so we are very excited to have Dr. Choksi here locally in our cancer center.”
“I want to be able to identify patients before they become symptomatic, before they have a drop in their heart function, before they have cardiovascular complications,” added Dr. Choksi.
“This is a one-of-a-kind service that we can offer our patients right here in Thomasville,” said Dr, Tan. “We are so fortunate to have somebody like Dr. Choksi to help assist us in taking care of these types of patients.”