Heartbeats May Shield Against Cancer, New Study Reveals

New Delhi, April 27: Reports of cancer affecting various body parts are common, yet heart cancer remains a rarely discussed topic. Why is that? A recent study sheds light on this mystery, raising the question: could the heart’s continuous beating protect it from cancer?

Published in the prestigious journal Science, the study provides an intriguing answer. Researchers found that the mechanical pressure generated by heartbeats may inhibit the growth of cancer cells—at least in experiments conducted on mice.

According to scientists, tumors can develop in nearly every organ, but cases of cancer in the heart are extremely rare. Primary cardiac tumors, which originate directly in the heart, are found in less than 1% of post-mortem examinations. In contrast, secondary tumors, which spread from other body parts to the heart, are observed in about 18% of cases.

Until now, it was unclear why heart cancer is so infrequent. James Chong from the University of Sydney states that this new study offers a “strong and reliable basis” for understanding this phenomenon.

The research was led by Serena Zakhina and her team at the University of Trieste in Italy. They conducted a unique experiment on genetically modified mice by implanting an extra heart outside the body—on the neck. This “external” heart received blood supply but did not beat.

The researchers then injected cancer cells into both the mice’s “normal” (beating) heart and the “external” (non-beating) heart. Within two weeks, cancer cells proliferated rapidly in the non-beating heart, replacing most healthy cells. Conversely, only about 20% of the tissues in the beating heart were affected by cancer.

The study did not stop there. Scientists also created engineered heart tissue from mouse heart cells in the lab. This tissue only beat when exposed to calcium ions, mimicking the heart’s function within the body.

When lung cancer cells were introduced into this tissue, it was found that cancer spread rapidly in the non-beating tissue, occupying more space. In contrast, cancer cells in the beating tissue remained confined, clustering only in the outer layers.

This research suggests that the heart’s continuous motion and the pressure it generates create an unfavorable environment for cancer cells, thereby inhibiting their growth or slowing it down.

However, scientists caution that this study is still in its early stages and requires further research before any direct application to humans. Nonetheless, this discovery could pave the way for new cancer treatment methods in the future, where mechanical forces or tissue movement could be utilized to control cancer growth.