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A discovery by Prof. Ami Aronheim and his team at the Technion–Israel Institute of Technology shows that the growth of cancerous tumors may actually combat cardiac dysfunction and reduce fibrosis, the scarring process that stiffens the heart muscle.
“The failing heart can beat much better in the presence of cancer cells or a tumor,” said lead investigator Aronheim, dean of the Technion’s Ruth and Bruce Rappaport Faculty of Medicine, speaking to The Times of Israel.
“This is very surprising,” Aronheim said. Currently, no drugs exist that can reverse fibrosis or improve the heart muscle once it has been damaged, he explained. The new findings could open the door to the development of innovative and groundbreaking therapeutic approaches.
PhD students Lama Awwad and Laris Achlaug led the research, which was recently published in JACC: CardioOncology, a peer-reviewed journal of the American College of Cardiology. Heart disease and cancer are the two most significant causes of death in Israel, according to the Health Ministry. While they have been considered separate diseases, researchers now confirm that they are highly connected — and they affect each other’s outcomes.