Can cancer treatments like chemotherapy damage the heart?

Yes, cancer treatments such as chemotherapy can damage the heart by generating oxidative stress and disrupting cellular machinery, potentially weakening or killing cardiac cells.

What are the cardiac risks associated with radiation therapy for cancer?

Radiation therapy aimed near the chest can cause inflammation, scar tissue, and damage to the delicate microvasculature of the heart.

Do targeted cancer drugs and immunotherapies affect the heart?

Yes, targeted drugs like HER2 inhibitors and some immunotherapies can trigger direct or immune-mediated injury to the heart muscle and vessels.

Home / Health / Cancer Treatments Can Harm Your Heart

Cancer Treatments Can Harm Your Heart

4 Feb

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Summary

Cancer therapies like chemotherapy and radiation can damage heart cells.
Some cancer drugs generate oxidative stress, weakening the heart.
Radiation near the chest can cause inflammation and scar tissue in the heart.

Cancer treatments including chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and radiation therapies, designed to target rapidly dividing cells, can also adversely affect the heart. These critical treatments may impact the heart's muscle cells, electrical system, and blood vessels.

According to Dr. Sachin Sekhar Biswal, consultant medical oncologist, certain chemotherapy agents induce oxidative stress, disrupting cellular machinery and potentially leading to cardiac cell damage or weakening. Radiation therapy directed near the chest area carries the risk of causing inflammation, scar tissue formation, and damage to the heart's delicate microvasculature.

Furthermore, advanced targeted drugs, such as HER2 inhibitors, and specific immunotherapies have been identified as potential triggers for direct injury or immune-mediated damage to the heart muscle and its vessels. This highlights a significant challenge in oncology, balancing effective cancer treatment with the prevention of cardiac side effects.