Breast cancer therapies linked to heart failure

According to American Heart Association, women should consider the risks and benefits of any therapies that may hurt hearts during breast cancer treatment, patients should have a conversation with their doctor about the side effects of the treatment. Some treatments for different types of cancer may pose heart risks, but they are growing more common for breast cancer patients.

Side effects can include abnormal rhythms, valve problems or heart failure, where the heart slowly weakens and can't pump effectively. Symptoms may not appear until long after treatment ends.
Herceptin and similar drugs for a specific type of breast cancer can cause heart failure. Sometimes it's temporary and goes away if treatment is stopped, but it can be permanent.

Radiation can affect arteries and spur narrowing or blockages. Other drugs can lead to abnormal heart rhythms or artery spasms, which can cause chest pain and possibly lead to a heart attack. Some research suggests that powerful new drugs that harness the immune system to fight cancer may in rare cases cause heart damage, especially when used together.

Certain chemotherapies such as doxorubicin, sold as Adriamycin and in generic form, might be less risky if given more slowly, rather than all at once. Some research suggests that a drug called dexrazoxane may minimize damage if given to women with advanced breast cancer who are getting high doses of doxorubicin.

Cancer patients should make sure doctors are monitoring their heart before, during and after breast cancer treatment. Common risk factors of breast cancer are: obesity, smoking, sedentary lifestyle and eating of junk food.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com

How immune system's organ regenerates

A molecule called BMP4 that plays a key role in the thymus's extraordinary natural ability to recover from damage. Dr. Jarrod Dudakov of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, one of the study's leaders, talks about the importance of the thymus, the discoveries he and his colleagues have made about how it regenerates. The researchers hope to translate their work into new therapies to improve the function of the immune system in old age and make immunotherapies more effective.

The thymus is like a boot camp for new recruits to the immune system. From their birthplace in the bone marrow, immature white blood cells go to the thymus to mature into disease-killing machines. A healthy, active thymus gets you a diverse set of different T cells, each equipped to recognize and kill a slightly different foreign target. Thus, the organ is critical for a strong immune system that's ready to prevent any threat.

The thymus is sensitive to damage from everything from infections to life stress, it is also naturally resilient. Its power to bounce back from injury, however, fades with age, and it can take a serious hit from certain aggressive cancer therapies. BMP4, the molecule identified in the team's new study, is only the second known driver of natural thymic regeneration.

 The researchers found that BMP4 is produced by certain cells lining the inside of the organ. That molecule signals other cells of the thymus to turn on genes that promote development and repair.
Now, the team is working to figure out whether there's a master trigger that activates the whole regeneration process and then translate that knowledge into new therapies that help patients.
          haleplushearty.blogspot.com