A few weeks ago in El Mundo newspaper, investigator and cardiologist Borja Ibáñez, one of the winners of the Fundación Occident 2021 Research Award, explained his research to develop new treatments that minimise or eliminate the cardiac toxicity of some cancer treatments.
Ibáñez, who a few days ago was recognised by Forbes magazine as one of the 100 best doctors in Spain, combines his career as a cardiologist at the Jiménez Díaz Foundation Hospital in Madrid with his research at the National Centre for Cardiovascular Research (CNIC), where he is director of clinical research.
Part of his research is to develop a therapeutic intervention to reduce the prevalence of heart failure in cancer survivors, which is associated with the anthracyclines present in 60% of cancer treatments. According to clinical data, up to one third of patients receiving high-dose anthracyclines experience adverse effects on the heart.
Ibáñez and his team have found that a high-fat diet may be beneficial. Their studies also explore the effects of intermittent fasting in better eliminating these toxicities associated with cancer treatments.