Anthracyclines are powerful chemotherapy drugs that have been used for over 30 years to treat many types of cancer, including lymphomas, leukemias, sarcomas, stomach cancer, and certain breast cancers.
These medications are known for their effectiveness and remain a cornerstone of cancer treatment today. However, despite their benefits, anthracyclines can have a serious side effect: they may cause damage to the heart.
This type of heart damage is called cardiotoxicity, and although it affects only a small percentage of patients, the impact can be long-lasting.
About 5% of cancer survivors who receive anthracycline treatment go on to develop chronic heart failure. In Europe alone, that adds up to more than a million people living with heart problems as a result of their cancer treatment.
Doctors have noticed that people with high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, or high cholesterol are more likely to experience this heart damage. High blood pressure, in particular, stands out as the most consistent risk factor. However, until recently, scientists didn’t fully understand why high blood pressure increases this risk.
A new study from the Spanish National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC) has found some answers. Researchers recreated high blood pressure in animals and then treated them with anthracyclines.
The results were clear: animals with high blood pressure were much more likely to develop heart failure and had higher death rates. This closely matched what doctors have seen in human patients.
Dr. Borja Ibáñez, the lead investigator of the study, explained that neither high blood pressure nor anthracyclines alone caused severe damage. But when both factors were present, they worked together in a “perfect storm” that led to heart failure.
The study revealed that high blood pressure causes a hidden weakness in the heart. It reduces the heart’s energy reserves and ability to adapt, even if everything seems normal on the surface.
When anthracyclines are added, this fragile balance collapses. Anthracyclines are known to damage mitochondria, the parts of cells that produce energy. In hearts already weakened by high blood pressure, this added damage overwhelms the system, leading to heart failure.
The researchers also tested a potential solution. They used a drug called mavacamten, which is currently approved for another heart condition. In lab experiments, mavacamten was able to prevent heart damage in the presence of both high blood pressure and anthracycline treatment.
This is a major finding with direct implications for cancer patients. If future clinical trials confirm the results, it could lead to the first treatment designed specifically to protect the hearts of people with high blood pressure who are receiving chemotherapy.
The study used advanced medical imaging and laboratory techniques that are already used in hospitals. This means the findings could be translated into patient care more quickly than usual.
Dr. Valentín Fuster, a senior figure in cardiology, praised the study for its forward-thinking approach. “This is the kind of research we need,” he said. “Finding problems before they cause harm and using that knowledge to prevent illness is the future of personalized medicine.”
If you care about heart disease, please read studies that herbal supplements could harm your heart rhythm, and how eating eggs can help reduce heart disease risk.
For more health information, please see recent studies that apple juice could benefit your heart health, and results showing yogurt may help lower the death risks in heart disease.
The study is published in the European Heart Journal.
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