Heart News
Chemotherapy in children can alter heart ’ s “ caretaker cells ”
Tumour suppressor gene might hold key to why child cancer patients exposed to chemotherapy are at risk of heart conditions decades later
Why do 20 percent of children who receive chemotherapy go on to develop heart failure later in life ?
To answer this question , researchers are studying how cancer treatment changes the function of cells that repair injury to the heart .
A team from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is looking at how p53 , a tumour-suppressor gene that protects genes from damage , affects the response of cardiac fibroblasts ( cells ) to anthracyclines , a common drug used in cancer chemotherapy .
“ We don ’ t fully understand why some children who are exposed to anthracycline therapy develop problems with their hearts three to four decades later .
“ The cardiac fibroblast , which acts as a sort of caretaker cell in the heart and other tissues of the body , has not been well studied in relation to this problem . We believe damage to these cells may contribute to effects seen in childhood cancer survivors when they become adults ,” senior author Dr Gregory Aune said at the launch of the study .
Normal fibroblasts have the ability to migrate , presumably to help repair injury in the heart . Cardiac fibroblasts treated with anthracycline show less migration , though the researchers have not yet established whether this is detrimental .
“ These cardiac fibroblasts can have their properties changed by exposure to gene-damaging agents . Then theoretically over time , that may be one contributor to the late effects we see ,” Dr Aune said .
This , he believes , might translate into an inability to respond to conditions like high blood pressure or heart attacks , since fibroblasts are so important in dealing with injury .
COVID-19 brings a triplethreat for heart patients
World Heart Day 2020 warns of a coming ‘ perfect storm ’
The World Heart Federation has warned that the
COVID-19 pandemic has created a “ perfect storm ” that will put people with heart disease at greater risk .
Doctors are now aware that heart disease is among the highest risk factors for COVID-19 patients developing severe conditions . They also know that , after a COVID-19 infection , the heart might be left damaged , even in people without previous heart conditions . Compounding these risks is the ongoing fear of the virus that has led to a sharp decline in hospital visits by heart patients for routine and emergency care .
“ In these trying times , it is paramount that we pay special attention to those who are at greater risk of complications from Covid-19 , as well as better understand how the virus is affecting the hearts of otherwise healthy people ,” said the federation ’ s president , Dr Karen Sliwa , at the launch of World Heart Day on September 29 .
“ Covid-19 has created a perfect storm , in which those people with cardiovascular disease fare poorly , and those at risk don ’ t seek the treatment that they need to keep their hearts healthy ,” she said .
Compared to the million-plus lives lost to COVID-19 this year , an estimated 17.9 million people die from cardiovascular disease each year , according to the World Health Organization ( WHO ). While patients steer clear of hospitals out of fear of catching the virus , their health is actually being compromised when they don ’ t see their cardiologist .
“ The heart and the entire vascular system are in danger , and we need to act now . The world has not experienced a global event on this scale in decades — today we have a unique opportunity to unite , to mobilise our skills , and to use our heart to act ,” Dr Sliwa added .
26 NOVEMBER 2020 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com