Cancer drugs and the heart
Cardiologist Javid Moslehi, MD, who specializes in the cardiovascular health of patients with cancer, believes cardio-oncology should be the next frontier. During his research fellowship, Dr. Moslehi discovered that “many novel cancer therapies were leading to cardiovascular adverse effects, both during treatment and survivorship.”
But, Dr. Moslehi explained, “we are entering [uncharted] waters.”
Patients who receive immune checkpoint inhibitors may, for instance, develop fulminant myocarditis. Dr. Moslehi and colleagues have also found in preclinical models that abatacept (CTLA4-Ig) may be an effective treatment for myocarditis.
“Because of the targeted nature of new cancer therapies, cardiovascular sequelae may provide insights into cardiac biology, making cardio-oncology a novel platform for cardiovascular investigation,” Dr. Moslehi explained.
Inside rare cancers
William Sellers, MD, director of the Broad Institute of MIT’s Cancer Program, Cambridge, Mass., said rare cancers should be the next focus.
After all, “rare cancers are only rare in isolation,” Dr. Sellers said, noting that these cancers make up 20%-24% of all cancer diagnoses.
Although funding for rare cancer research remains limited, investing more could benefit patients in the long run. In early 2023, Pfizer announced plans to explore more options for early stage treatments for rare diseases and cancers.
“New initiatives supporting direct-to-patient cohort enrollment bridging geographic fragmentation and rare cancer model development, enabling preclinical research to accelerate, are the first steps along a path toward curing these diseases,” he said.
The researchers reported numerous relationships with pharmaceutical companies.
A version of this article first appeared on Medscape.com.