Cardiac effects of cancer therapy and what is being done about it

Last month, we covered some of the most recent advances in cancer therapy, with a focus on immunotherapy and tumour-agnostic drugs (Mendes, 2020). However, in addition to the need to create more effective cancer therapies, another significant issue worthy of discussion relates to the adverse effects of cancer treatments. Researchers are continually looking to develop therapies which can target cancer cells without causing damage to other cells. Comorbidities resulting from treatment are a major problem for long-term cancer survivors.

One such issue is that of cardiac damage and dysfunction resulting from chemotherapy, radiation and anti-cancer signalling inhibitors (Myatt, 2015). In fact, the increase in life expectancy post anti-cancer therapy is countered, unfortunately, by an increase in mortality from cardiac conditions such as heart failure, myocardial infarction, arrhythmias, hypertension and thromboembolism (Bovelli et al, 2010). For example, in the case of long-term survivors of Hodgkin’s disease, myocardial infarction accounts for 25% of deaths (Curigliano et al, 2012).