Cardiac Extracellular Vesicles from the Failing Heart Accelerate Tumor Growth

Heart disease and cancer are common diseases with common risk factors, mechanistic similarities, and deadly interactions. The coexistence of these diseases is common, often worsens patients` prognoses, and negatively affects therapeutic options. However, the interaction between heart disease and cancer is complex and has not yet been fully defined.

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) are membrane-bound organelles extruded from all cell types, traffic to local or distant targets, and execute biological functions. EVs carry proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and metabolites. EVs have been implicated in the development and progression of numerous diseases. Therefore, we hypothesized that the failing heart releases small EVs that accelerate various diseases such as cancer. Here, we aimed to determine whether and how cEVs accelerate cancer, dissect the role of cEVs and distinguish it from other paracrine signals such as secreted soluble factors. A deeper understanding of these pathways may identify new biomarkers for risk stratification and novel therapeutic targets to break the deleterious link between heart failure and cancer.