Men with heart disease face higher risk of developing and dying from cancer, 25-year study finds
核心洞察
A 25-year study of 22,534 UK adults found men with cardiovascular disease (搜索) had a 17.3% lifetime cancer (搜索) risk, compared with 12.8% for women with CVD.
Smoking, obesity and excessive alcohol consumption were identified as the primary drivers, with the strongest links seen in lung and oesophageal cancers.
Men with CVD also faced elevated mortality from gastric, oesophageal and lung cancers, prompting calls for improved risk management and targeted screening.
Men with heart disease are at a significantly higher risk of developing and dying from cancer (搜索) than those without cardiovascular disease (搜索) (CVD), according to a decades-long study that identified smoking, obesity and excessive alcohol consumption as the primary drivers behind the excess cases in men.
The research, conducted by scientists at the University of Aberdeen and Keele University, analysed health data from 22,534 people taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (搜索) (EPIC)-Norfolk study over more than 25 years. Approximately 11,000 participants either had CVD at the start of the study or developed it during the monitoring period.
The findings, published in the European Heart Journal, revealed stark gender differences in outcomes. The lifetime risk of developing cancer (搜索) among those with CVD was higher in men (17.3%) compared with women (12.8%). In those without CVD, the risk of cancer was 10.2% for men and 8.2% for women.
Dr Tiberiu Pana, a specialty registrar in cardiology at NHS Grampian and honorary early career clinical research fellow at the University of Aberdeen, said: "We found that cancer (搜索) incidence and death were higher in people with cardiovascular disease (搜索) than in those without – a relationship we already knew a bit about. However, through looking at this large patient group over a very long period of time we were able to examine it more thoroughly. We have identified clear differences between men and women across a range of factors in those with cardiovascular disease and all types of cancer."
Cancer types most affected
Further analysis of cancers outside the reproductive system found that people with heart disease faced higher rates of gastric, oesophageal, lung, bowel and non-melanoma skin cancers. These were also more prominent among men, according to the study.
Men with CVD also had an increased risk of dying from gastric, oesophageal and lung cancers compared with those without heart disease. Researchers said this may be partly driven by common risk factors shared between CVD and cancer (搜索).
Dr Rosa Thuemmler, of the University of Aberdeen, said: "We found that men had a higher incidence of both getting cancer (搜索) in the first place and sadly, also in dying from it, and this was particularly true among people with cardiovascular disease (搜索). Although the pattern was the same across all subtypes of cancer, this was most pronounced in lung and oesophageal cancers."
Primary drivers and public health implications
The study identified smoking, obesity and drinking too much alcohol as the "primary drivers" behind cancer (搜索) cases and cancer deaths in men with heart disease. According to the British Heart Foundation, more than eight million people – four million men and four million women – are living with CVD in the UK.
Professor Phyo Myint, of the University of Aberdeen, said: "More needs to be done to improve risk management, targeted screening and prevention to address this health inequality."
Mamas Mamas, professor of cardiology at Keele University, called for a shift in clinical focus: "We need to better understand the driver of cancer (搜索) development in these populations. Furthermore, whilst cardio-oncology services have focused mainly on cancer patients preventing the development of cardiovascular diseases, we need better pathways that can identify and prevent cancer development in patients with cardiac conditions."
Nicola Smith, senior health information manager at Cancer Research UK, noted the overlap in disease causes: "Many causes of cancer (搜索) and heart disease overlap, which may explain why there's a link between the two, and both of these diseases are more common in people from deprived areas."
Smith added that cancer (搜索) is slightly more likely to affect men, partly because smoking rates are higher, but cautioned that more research was needed to confirm the stronger link between heart disease and cancer in men compared with women. "If anyone is concerned about their risk of cancer or heart disease, there are proven steps they can take to reduce it. These include not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, and cutting down on alcohol."