Targets in Cardio-Oncology: Drug Effects and Mechanisms of Action

With the continuous improvement of tumor diagnosis and treatment in recent years, the survival period of cancer patients has been extended, and their life expectancy has increased steadily. More and more cancer survivors are troubled by long-term complications related to cancer treatment, especially cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), which have gradually become one of the main causes of death among cancer survivors. Additionally, increasing evidence shows that CVDs and the drugs used in CVD treatment also play an important role in the development and progression of cancer. Therefore, cardio-oncology has become a prominent emerging interdisciplinary field.

Many drugs target pathways involved in the progression of both cancer and CVDs, such as apoptosis, inflammation, and fibrosis. Using these drugs in the treatment of cancer or CVDs impacts cells in both the tumor microenvironment and the cardiovascular system. Sometimes, drugs used to treat cancer or CVDs have adverse effects on the other disease. For example, anthracycline drugs can lead to heart failure. Conversely, some drugs have been shown to reduce the risk of the other disease when used to treat cancer or CVDs. For example, aspirin and metformin can reduce the risks of certain cancers. Considering that many populations, such as overweight individuals and smokers, are at high risk for both cancer and CVDs, research focusing on the pharmacological actions of targets in cardio-oncology is valuable for both the rational application of existing drugs and the development of new therapies.

This Research Topic welcomes any manuscripts focusing on targets in cardio-oncology, both established medicines and drug leads under development. Such (potential) medicines may be synthetic compounds or drugs from natural sources including their isolated metabolites. Original research and review-type articles based on preclinical or clinical research are encouraged. Specific themes include, but are not limited to:

• Cardiotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs
• Drugs that can suppress the cardiotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs or radiotherapy
• Modification of chemical structure or dosage form to reduce the cardiotoxicity of anti-cancer drugs
• Changes in blood lipids and metabolism caused by anti-cancer drugs that affect sex hormones
• Functional foods/Traditional medicine (TM)/natural products that have beneficial effects on both cancer and CVDs
• Cardiovascular drugs that reduce/increase the risks of cancer or whose effects are still disputed

Research involving functional foods, traditional medicine, or natural products that have beneficial effects on both cancer and cardiovascular diseases should be submitted to the section Ethnopharmacology, Frontiers in Pharmacology. Please adhere to the following requirements:

If your manuscript deals with a medicinal plant or its metabolites, please self-assess your MS using the ConPhyMP tool (https://ga-online.org/best-practice/), and follow the standards established in the ConPhyMP statement Front. Pharmacol. 13:953205. All the manuscripts need to fully comply with the Four Pillars of Best Practice in Ethnopharmacology (you can freely download the full version here). Importantly, please ascertain that the ethnopharmacological context is clearly described (pillar 3d) and that the material investigated is characterized in detail (pillars 2 a and b).