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EurekAlert-Style Summary

Technion researchers uncover surprising two-way links between heart disease and cancer

A new study from the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology reveals unexpected interactions between cancer and heart disease—findings that could pave the way for innovative therapies for both conditions. Led by Prof. Ami Aronheim, dean of the Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, the research shows that in the absence of anti-cancer treatments, cancer development may actually improve heart function and reduce cardiac fibrosis, the stiffening of heart tissue.

Published in JACC: CardioOncology, the work synthesizes recent breakthroughs from Prof. Aronheim and doctoral students Lama Awwad and Laris Achlaug, who explore the bidirectional relationship between heart failure and cancer. While it has long been known that many cancer therapies damage the heart, the team aims to identify additional biological links and unravel the underlying mechanisms connecting the two diseases.

Heart disease and cancer share numerous risk factors—including smoking, obesity, diabetes, and high blood pressure—as well as biological pathways involving chronic inflammation, immune-system changes, and extracellular matrix remodeling. Previous studies from Aronheim’s group showed that heart disease can accelerate cancer growth and metastasis.

The new findings highlight a significant clinical gap: no current treatments can reverse cardiac fibrosis or directly improve the heart muscle’s contractile strength. By revealing how cancer may modulate these processes, the study opens the door to potential new therapeutic strategies for patients with either condition.

This research was supported by the Rappaport Family Institute for Research in the Medical Sciences.