Grant: Operating Grant

While patients who have undergone chemotherapy may be cured of cancer, many suffer from drug-induced damage to other organs, including the heart and blood vessels. Of concern is the fact that patients who show immediate heart injury must be taken off of these drugs and the cancer treatment is halted/delayed. Other patients who may not display obvious and immediate injury to their hearts may show signs of injury to their heart and blood vessels later in life. In both instances, some patients eventually develop heart failure with a poor quality of life and a high probability of death. As this drug-induced damage to the heart can induce heart failure, the experiments proposed in this grant will test a treatment that may protect the heart from damage induced by chemotherapy. If successful, patients may be able to receive higher doses of the anti-cancer agents without concern of drug-induced damage to the heart, ultimately improving cancer treatment and promoting long-term survival of the cancer patient free from risk of heart failure.