Ashhar Alam/New Delhi

Heart cancer remains one of the rarest forms of the disease, and scientists may now have discovered an important reason behind it. A new study suggests that the heart’s continuous pumping action creates mechanical stress that may actively prevent cancer cells from growing.

The research, published in the journal Science, found that the constant physical strain experienced by heart tissues can alter the behaviour of cancer cells and suppress their ability to multiply. Scientists believe this unique environment inside the heart may act as a natural defence mechanism against tumour formation.

Researchers from the International Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology in Italy and other institutions noted that cancers rarely originate in the heart or spread to it from other organs. According to the team, this indicates that the cardiac environment possesses special protective properties.

To investigate this further, scientists created an experimental model using mice. They transplanted a donor heart into the neck region of a compatible mouse, allowing blood to circulate through the organ while removing the normal mechanical strain caused by pumping.

Human cancer cells were then introduced into both the mechanically “unloaded” transplanted heart and the mouse’s normal active heart. The results showed a striking difference — cancer cells grew far more easily in the unloaded heart, while the actively beating heart consistently restricted tumour growth.

The study points to a protein called Nesprin-2 as playing a crucial role in this process. Researchers found that the protein helps transmit mechanical signals within heart tissue, influencing gene activity inside cancer cells. These signals appear to modify chromatin structure and histone methylation, biological mechanisms that regulate how genes function — ultimately reducing the activity of genes linked to tumour growth.

Interestingly, when scientists disabled Nesprin-2 in cancer cells, the cells regained their ability to form tumours even within the mechanically active environment of the heart.

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The findings offer fresh insight into how physical forces inside the body can influence disease progression. Researchers believe this understanding could eventually open the door to innovative cancer treatments based on mechanical stimulation and tissue pressure.

Experts say the study highlights an emerging area of medical science where biomechanics and cancer biology intersect, potentially leading to therapies that mimic the heart’s natural tumour-suppressing environment.