What is the role of the Notch pathway in cancer-induced cardiotoxicity?

Cancer mortality has been steadily decreasing in the recent years due to aggressive prevention strategies and to the development of treatments tailored for that particular type of cancer. Some of these treatments, including not only chemotherapeutics drugs but also targeted agents such as trastuzumab, are associated to cardiotoxicity that can be so extreme to cause death due to cardiovascular causes instead of cancer. Even though the mechanisms of cardiotoxicity are not fully understood, it is becoming clear that some cancer treatments have detrimental effects on survival of cardiomyocytes and endothelial cell in the myocardium. Notch is a key pathway involved in modulating proliferation and survival of both cell types. An understanding of how the Notch pathway in cardiomyocytes and endothelial cells is affected by cancer treatments could lead to the development of new protocols to limit or reduce cancer therapy associated cardiotoxicity