Cancer treatments such as chemotherapy and targeted medicines have saved countless lives, but they can sometimes affect more than just cancer cells.
In some patients, these powerful treatments also damage the heart.
This problem, known as cancer treatment-related heart damage, can weaken the heart’s ability to pump blood and may force doctors to reduce or even stop life-saving cancer treatment.
When this happens, patients may not receive the full benefit of their cancer therapy.
Finding ways to protect the heart while continuing effective cancer treatment has therefore become an important goal for doctors around the world.
Researchers from Erasmus University Medical Center in Rotterdam wanted to understand whether medicines already used to treat heart failure could also protect the hearts of people receiving cancer treatment.
Current European Society of Cardiology guidelines recommend several heart medicines for cancer patients who develop signs of heart damage. However, much of the existing evidence comes from relatively small studies or expert opinion rather than large clinical trials.
To provide clearer answers, the researchers carried out a large meta-analysis. Instead of studying one group of patients, they combined the results of many previous studies to obtain a more reliable overall picture. Their findings were presented at ESC Cardio-Oncology 2026.
The team searched medical databases for studies involving cancer patients treated with anticancer drugs who also received medicines commonly recommended for heart failure. In total, they identified 49 studies involving 6,998 patients.
The researchers examined several groups of medicines. These included RAAS inhibitors, which relax blood vessels and reduce pressure on the heart; beta-blockers, which slow the heart rate and reduce the heart’s workload; mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists; sodium-glucose cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors; and statins, which are mainly used to lower cholesterol but may also help protect the heart.
The main measurement used was left ventricular ejection fraction, often called LVEF. This measures how much blood the heart pumps out with each heartbeat. A higher LVEF generally means the heart is pumping more effectively.
Across 23 studies, RAAS inhibitors improved heart pumping function by nearly 3 percent compared with standard treatment. Beta-blockers also provided protection, although the improvement was smaller. The greatest benefit appeared when RAAS inhibitors and beta-blockers were used together, producing almost a 3 percent improvement in heart function.
The researchers also found improvements in another measure called global longitudinal strain, which detects early changes in heart muscle function before larger problems appear. RAAS inhibitors, beta-blockers, and the combination of both treatments all improved this important marker.
Some newer medicines also showed promise. Mineralocorticoid receptor antagonists appeared to provide even greater improvements, while SGLT2 inhibitors and statins also showed positive effects. However, these findings were based on relatively few studies, meaning stronger evidence is still needed.
Overall, the analysis suggests that commonly used heart failure medicines may help many cancer patients continue treatment with less damage to their hearts. This is important because protecting heart function may allow patients to complete their cancer therapy and improve their long-term outcomes.
The study has several strengths. By combining results from 49 studies involving nearly 7,000 patients, it provides stronger evidence than many individual studies alone. However, the available research was uneven, with much more evidence for RAAS inhibitors and beta-blockers than for newer treatments.
The authors therefore emphasize the need for larger randomized clinical trials to determine which medicines work best for different cancer patients.
If future studies confirm these findings, protecting the heart may become a routine part of cancer care, helping more patients receive effective treatment without sacrificing long-term heart health.
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The findings were presented at ESC Cardio-Oncology 2026.
