Researchers think they know why immunotherapy can cause rare instances of heart damage The immunotherapy triggers inflammation in the heart by promoting specific immune reactions in heart tissue Immunotherapy could be tweaked to spare the heart while still fighting cancer, researchers say FRIDAY, Nov. 8, 2024 (HealthDay News) -- Researchers think they’ve figured out why cancer treatments that harness a person’s immune system to fight a tumor can cause heart damage in rare instances. Further, what they’ve learned sheds light on how this potentially deadly side effect might be prevented.
Specific types of immune cells unleashed by cancer immunotherapy appear to cause myocarditis, an inflammatory condition that can weaken the heart, researchers report. This immune reaction in the heart is distinct from the immune response attacking a person’s cancer, researchers say – which means that immunotherapies might be tweaked to more directly attack tumors without harming the heart. “This study is a game-changer, paving the way to unearthing the roots of these complications,” said co-senior researcher Dr.
Kerry Reynolds , clinical director of inpatient oncology at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. About one-third of U.S.
patients with cancer can be treated immune checkpoint inhibitors, drugs that take the brakes off the body’s immune system so it can target and attack cancer cells, researchers explained in background notes. Roughly 1% of patients treated with an i.