Men with heart disease are at a higher risk of developing and dying from cancer, new research suggests.
Researchers identified smoking, obesity and drinking too much alcohol as “primary drivers” behind cases in men, with the link most pronounced in lung and oesophageal cancers.
Experts called for “more to be done” to manage these risks, such as targeted screening interventions.
The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Aberdeen and Keele University, examined how cancer risk and mortality differed between men and women over more than 25 years.
It drew on data from 22,534 people taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk study.
Almost 11,000 either had cardiovascular disease (CVD), an umbrella term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels, at the start of the study, or developed it during monitoring.
The study found the lifetime risk of developing cancer among those with CVD was higher in men (17.3 per cent) compared with women (12.8 per cent).
In those without CVD, the risk of cancer was 10.2 per cent for men and 8.2 per cent for women.
Dr Tiberiu Pana, specialty registrar in cardiology at NHS Grampian, and honorary early career clinical research fellow at the University of Aberdeen, said: “We found that cancer incidence and death were higher in people with cardiovascular disease 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.”
Further analysis of cancers found outside of 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” between CVD and cancer.
The findings, published in the European Heart Journal, suggest the “primary drivers” of cancer cases and cancer deaths in men with heart disease were smoking, obesity and drinking too much alcohol, they added.
Who is at risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD)?
NHS
There are things that may make it more likely you’ll get CVD, including:
- your lifestyle – such as smoking, drinking too much alcohol, being overweight and not being active
- your age – CVD mainly affects people over 50 years old
- your sex – men are more likely to get CVD than women
- your ethnicity – you may be more likely to get CVD if you’re from a South Asian, Black African or African Caribbean ethnic background
- having family members with CVD
- having certain conditions, such as diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol
Dr Rosa Thuemmler, of the University of Aberdeen, said: “We found that men had a higher incidence of both getting cancer in the first place and sadly, also in dying from it, and this was particularly true among people with cardiovascular disease.
“Although the pattern was the same across all subtypes of cancer, this was most pronounced in lung and oesophageal cancers.”
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, said: “We need to better understand the driver of cancer 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, said: “Many causes of cancer 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.
“Cancer is slightly more likely to affect men, partly because smoking rates are higher, but more research is needed before we can say that there is a stronger link between cancer and heart disease in men compared to 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.”