Exploration of Cardiology

Table 2. Validation status, strengths, limitations, and recommended context for principal theranostic modalities in cardio-oncology.

Modality	Stage of validation	Key strength	Major limitations/cost	Recommended context
AI-GLS (Echocardiography)	Regulatory-cleared devices; multi-society guideline support	High reproducibility; low incremental cost; portable	Algorithm vendor variability; requires quality image acquisition	First-line serial monitoring for patients on anthracyclines or trastuzumab
Cardiomyocyte cfDNA	Early-phase clinical studies	High tissue specificity for injury; mechanistic insight	No standardised approved assay; high per-test cost (£300–£700)	Investigational risk stratification in high-dose therapy or clinical trials
⁶⁸Ga-FAPI PET	Preclinical and early phase I in cardio-oncology	Direct imaging of active fibrosis; quantifiable signal	Limited tracer availability; high scan cost; no outcome data	Research tool for characterising unexplained post-therapy cardiomyopathy

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Declarations

Acknowledgments

The authors acknowledge The Lind League, Nigeria, for providing the institutional resources that supported this research project. Some of the subfigures in this manuscript were generated with the assistance of artificial intelligence image generation tools [Perplexity AI]. These images were reviewed and verified by the authors prior to inclusion.

Author contributions

PA: Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Supervision, Validation, Project administration. NOC: Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Data curation. ONO: Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Data curation. WS: Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Data curation. SO: Writing—review & editing, Supervision. YT: Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Data curation. HB: Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Data curation. FM: Writing—original draft, Writing—review & editing, Data curation. All authors read and approved the submitted version.

Conflicts of interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Ethical approval

Not applicable.

Consent to participate

Not applicable.

Consent to publication

Not applicable.

Availability of data and materials

Not applicable.

Funding

No funding was received for this work.

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