Cancer-Related Immune Therapies: Bidirectional Implications From Cardiotoxicity to Emerging Cardiovascular

Kapka Miteva1, Markus S Anker2, Henry Fechner3

  • 1Division of Cardiology, Foundation for Medical Research, Department of Medicine Specialized Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Geneva, Geneva, Switzerland.

JACC. Cardiooncology
|August 21, 2025
PubMed

Immune-based therapies-including immune checkpoint inhibitors, bispecific T cell engagers, chimeric antigen receptor T cells, and tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes- not only have transformed cancer treatment, but also have introduced significant cardiovascular complications, posing new challenges for cardio-oncology. Growing recognition of cardiovascular immune-related adverse events has spurred research into the immune-cardiovascular interface, particularly dysregulated signaling, T cell overactivation, and cytokine release. This review synthesizes recent insights into the role of immune checkpoints in cardiovascular disease, the mechanisms of immune checkpoint inhibitor- and T cell-induced cardiotoxicity, and the therapeutic potential of immune checkpoint modulation and chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy in cardiovascular applications.

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