Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors to Increase Cardiovascular Diseases in the Patients

Release Date: 22-Nov-2020

A novel study indicates that a typical type of cancer treatment that aims at boosting the immune system of the body may have a bad impact on worsening the inflammation in the arteries that distribute blood from the heart to other parts of the body. It was found by a group of researchers that inflammation increased in large arteries in the patients suffering from melanoma cancer when treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors.

The researchers observed that the drugs under immune checkpoint inhibitor was leading to atherosclerosis and other major complications. It is analysed that the patients who are suffering from cancer are generally at a greater risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. Another novel study focused at only one type of tumor i.e. lymphoma. The primary aim of the researchers was to investigate the scenario of arterial inflammation in the patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. It was estimated that the patients undergoing immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy were prone to have heart attack one month later.

Oncologists across the globe are now stressing at lowering the impact of immune checkpoint inhibitor on heart so that adverse side effects due to the treatment could be prevented. Some of the preventive measures that needed to be taken to undo the impact of immune checkpoint inhibitors are: optimizing weight, decreasing cholesterol levels, eating a healthy diet, exercising and maintaining good blood pressure control. Researchers estimated that the further treatment of the patients with atherosclerosis-stabilizing agents like statins could lead to more successful results.