January 2026

Data focusing on dual immunotherapy-associated cardiac adverse events is limited. A recent retrospective observational pharmacovigilance study by Xia and colleagues, assessed characteristics and factors associated with cardiac adverse events reported in the FDA Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) in patients receiving dual immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Cardiac events accounted for 7.5% (n=1944) of all reported adverse events following dual ICI, mainly due to myocarditis, atrial fibrillation, heart failure, pericardial effusion, and myocardial infarction. The occurrence of cardiac adverse events was the highest in kidney cancer (8.4%), followed by colorectal cancer (8.3%), lung cancer (7.4%), melanoma (7%), and liver cancer (6.7%). Most cardiac events occurred in patients receiving nivolumab combined with ipilimumab (7.6%), particularly within the first two months of initiating dual ICI therapy. Factors associated with increased risk of cardiac adverse events included male sex and age over 65 years old. Since the FAERS database does not include data on the total number of patients receiving the drugs, it is impossible to calculate the incidence of adverse events. Future pharmacovigilance studies including are needed for early detection of ICI-associated cardiac adverse events.

December 2025

The American Heart Association's Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) guidelines promote cardiovascular health by targeting seven modifiable risk factors: smoking, body mass index, physical activity, diet, blood pressure, blood glucose, and total cholesterol levels. Ideal adherence to LS7 recommendations is associated with lower lifetime risk of CVD. A recent prospective study assessed LS7 metrics in 779 cancer survivors from Southern Italy during 14 years of follow-up. Cancer survivors with ideal cardiovascular health defined as a LS7 score of 10–14 points, had 38% lower all-cause mortality versus cancer survivors with poor LS7 score. Mediating factors included inflammation, heart rate, and vitamin D, accounting for >50% of the associations between LS7 metric and mortality in cancer survivors. These findings underscore the importance of integrating cardiovascular health promotion into cancer care by focusing on modifiable risk factors. 

November 2025

In this large UK Biobank cohort, comprehensive control of eight modifiable risk factors was strongly associated with lower heart failure (HF) risk among cancer survivors. Each additional controlled factor reduced HF risk by 12%, and achieving ≥5 controls brought HF risk close to that of non-cancer controls. Cancer type, chemotherapy, smoking, BMI, and physical activity were the dominant determinants. These findings highlight the importance of proactive, comprehensive cardiovascular risk management in cancer survivorship. Implementing structured strategies to optimise blood pressure, metabolic health, weight, smoking cessation, and physical activity could substantially reduce long-term heart failure risk and help close the risk gap with non-cancer populations.

October 2025 :

Certain foods have well-established links to increased cancer risk. A recent literature review by Hull and colleagues highlights evidence-based strategies to improve nutrition and shared dietary risk factors to prevent occurrence and recurrence of cardiovascular disease and cancer. The study shows that the best diet for cancer prevention consists of unprocessed plant foods, for example fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, and whole grains, while reducing the intake of meat, processed food, and sweets.

September 2025 :

This national-scale analysis of >170,000 patients treated with ICIs confirms that ICI-related myotoxicities are rare but highly lethal early events, often cardio-muscular in nature. It pinpoints risk-enriched phenotypes (thymic malignancy, neuromuscular comorbidity, combination ICIs, very advanced age), supporting risk-adapted surveillance and rapid triage rather than blanket screening of all ICI recipients.

August 2025 :

This prospective cohort study evaluated the safety of a structured outpatient triage approach for suspected cardiovascular immune-related adverse events (CV-irAEs) in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Conducted between March 2022 and October 2023, it included 175 adults, of whom 83% were managed as outpatients using the FAST-TRACK ICI safety checklist. This protocol excluded patients with cardiovascular symptoms, abnormal ECG, dual ICI therapy, or significant pre-existing disease from outpatient care. Most referrals (64%) were for asymptomatic troponin elevation. No cardiovascular deaths occurred within 30 days among outpatients, demonstrating the approach’s safety. Overall, 54% had confirmed CV-irAEs, and 41% were diagnosed with myocarditis. Prior cardiovascular disease (OR 2.52) and impaired global longitudinal strain (<16%, OR 2.18) were significantly associated with CV-irAEs. Findings suggest that with structured triage by oncologists, many suspected CV-irAEs can be safely managed outside hospital settings, optimizing resources while maintaining patient safety.

July 2025 :

The statement from the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) — including the Heart Failure Association, the European Association of Preventive Cardiology, and the ESC Council of Cardio-Oncology — addresses:

  1. Definition & epidemiology of cancer therapy–related cardiac dysfunction (CTRCD)
  2. Risk stratification of patients by means of the IC-OS HFA score
  3. Diagnostic pathways for early detection
  4. Prevention strategies: lifetime lifestyle but nuanced pharmacological interventions in high risk patients for CTRCD primary prevention
  5. A holistic cardio-oncology management model for both short- and long-term care

June 2025 :

Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced myocarditis is a serious complication of cancer immunotherapy, and may lead to significant long-term cardiac complications, such as arrhythmias and heart failure. The mortality rate is up to 50% in affected patients. In a recently published multicenter, retrospective registry study by Power and colleagues, 757 patients from 17 countries were enrolled diagnosed with ICI myocarditis. The study aimed to identify predictors of severe outcomes in ICI myocarditis and to develop a risk score to help clinicians in risk stratification and treatment decisions. The authors found that the magnitude of troponin increase, pre-existing thymoma, presence of cardiomuscular symptoms, reduced left ventricular ejection fraction <50%, and ECG with low QRS voltage were associated with severe cardiomyotoxicity, and may be a promising tool in identifying patients who could be safely managed by withholding ICI therapy.

May 2025 :

The study titled "Mitigation of Doxorubicin Cardiotoxicity With Synergistic miRNA Combinations Identified Using Combinatorial Genetics en masse (CombiGEM)" by Higashikuni et al., published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology: CardioOncology on May 13, 2025, explores innovative strategies to counteract the cardiotoxic effects of doxorubicin, a widely used chemotherapeutic agent known for its potential to cause heart damage. The study identifies miR-222 and miR-455 as a potent miRNA combination capable of reducing doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity. These findings highlight the potential of combinatorial miRNA therapies and the utility of CombiGEM technology in discovering novel cardioprotective strategies.

April 2025 :

The current knowledge on reverse cardio-oncology is limited. It remains unclear whether patients with pre-existing heart failure are at increased risk of developing cancer considering that they share common risk factors. In a recent large French nationwide cohort study by Mirabel and colleagues (doi: 10.1093/eurjpc/zwaf152) including over 330,000 patients with established heart failure, patients with pre-existing heart failure demonstrated a 16% higher attributable risk of new-onset cancer, particularly lung, colon and blood cancers, regardless of known risk factors. These findings emphasize and support the need for cancer screening strategies among patients with pre-existing heart failure.

March 2025 :

By means of a systematic review and meta(analysis of the literature, Bhalraam and colleagues assessed the cardioprotective effect of SGLT2i on heart failure in patients treated for cancer. The results that included 13 studies and >80,000 participants suggest that SGLT2i reduces heart failure incidence and need for hospital. The group of patients who may benefit the most from SGLT2i are breast cancer patients treated with anthracylines. Overall, SGLT2i are promising cardioprotective drugs to prevent either cancer therapy-related cardiac dysfunction or overt heart failure. Randomized controlled studies are however needed at this stage.

February 2025 :

This study validates the Heart Failure Association (HFA) and International Cardio-Oncology Society (IC-OS) risk score for predicting anthracycline-induced cardiovascular toxicity. Analyzing real-world data, the authors assess its accuracy in identifying high-risk patients, enhancing prevention strategies. Findings support its clinical utility in guiding cardio-oncology management. The study highlights the importance of risk stratification in optimizing anthracycline therapy while minimizing cardiovascular complications.

This survey by the ESC Council of Cardio-Oncology explores the role of mobile and wearable digital devices in managing active cancer patients. It assesses their adoption, benefits, and barriers in monitoring cardiovascular health. Results highlight the potential of digital tools to improve early detection, patient engagement, and personalized care. However, challenges such as data integration and regulatory issues remain, requiring further standardization for widespread implementation.

January 2025 :

The SUCCOUR-MRI trial assessed whether cardioprotective therapy guided by early detection of reduced global longitudinal strain (GLS) during anthracycline chemotherapy could better preserve left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF). In 333 patients, those with isolated GLS impairment received either cardioprotective therapy or usual care. Results showed that cardioprotective therapy significantly reduced declines in LVEF. Its potential to improve cardiovascular clinical outcomes needs further research.

December 2024 :

Authors explore pathways of myocyte toxicity due to antharcyclines by means of a translational study including a murine animal model and replicated on cardiomyocytes from a single leukemia patient. Their results increase our knowledge on the pathways of anthracyclin cardiotoxicity. Authors test the effect of IL-1α neutralising antibodies with a positive effect on the murine model. Although their results need further research in humans, it opens new perspectives for cardioprotection beyond the classic heart failure therapies.

November 2024 :