Risk factors for cardiovascular diseases and predictors of complications in patients with lung cancer

Cardiovascular disease in breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy: epidemiology and risk factors

Evaluating the occurrence of new-onset CVD in women with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy and identifying factors associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease highlights the need for sustained cardiovascular surveillance in breast cancer survivors.

Incidence of and mortality risk from cardiovascular diseases after a cancer diagnosis: An umbrella review

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality among cancer survivors, driven by the cancer itself, its treatments, and shared risk factors. Despite numerous systematic reviews and meta-analyses, the evidence remains fragmented and inconsistent, limiting its clinical utility. This umbrella review synthesised evidence on the incidence of CVD and CVD-related mortality after a cancer diagnosis and critically appraised the methodological quality of the literature. A comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, CINAHL, Web of Science, and the Cochrane Library from inception to February 2025 identified 34 eligible reviews from 12,942 records. Cancer patients consistently showed higher risks of CVD (relative risks, 1.11–2.32) and CVD-related mortality (hazard ratios, 1.09–1.70) compared with cancer-free populations, with variation by cancer type and CVD subtype. Reported outcomes included stroke, atrial fibrillation, and thromboembolic events, with evidence also indicating that patients with pre-existing CVD may develop additional cardiovascular events after cancer diagnosis. The methodological quality of included reviews ranged from critically low to moderately high, with none rated as high quality. These findings confirm a substantial cardiovascular burden among cancer patients while highlighting important limitations in the evidence base. Strengthening integrated cardio-oncology care and prioritising high-quality research are essential to improve risk stratification and patient outcomes.

Increased Cardiovascular Risk in Breast Cancer Patients

Hypertension is the most common cardiovascular risk factor in cancer patients - data from the CONNECT-POL registry.

BACKGROUND Arterial hypertension is a major cardiovascular risk factor (CVRF) associated with increased risk of cardiotoxicity in cancer patients. AIMS The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of hypertension in patients with newly diagnosed cancer and compare it with the prevalence in the general population. METHODS Data were derived from the CONNECT-POL registry, the largest prospective Polish study assessing the burden of cardiovascular problems among cancer patients. Inclusion criteria were adult age and newly diagnosed breast, lung, colorectal, or prostate cancer. The occurrence of CVRF and cardiovascular diseases were recorded during a cardiology consultation. RESULTS Between October 2023 and February 2025 in 11 centers 1523 patients were enrolled - 951 women, 572 men, at median age 67 (interquartile range 16) years. The most frequent CVRF was arterial hypertension, present in 949 patients (62.3%). The prevalence of hypertension reached 79.1% in colorectal, 75.1% in prostate, 69.4% in lung, and 50.1% in breast cancer. In multivariable analysis, hypertension was independently associated with age, body weight, dyslipidemia, diabetes, obesity and colon cancer compared to other cancer types. After age standardization to the structure of the WOBASZ II study, the prevalence of hypertension was higher among patients with colorectal (P = 0.045) and lung (P = 0.002) cancer compared with general population. CONCLUSIONS The prevalence of hypertension in cancer patients is very high compared to the general population and varies by cancer type, being highest in colorectal cancer and lowest in breast cancer patients. These results highlight the importance of routine blood pressure monitoring and encouraging home blood pressure monitoring in patients scheduled for oncological therapy.

Prevalence of cancer in patients with cardiovascular diseases and risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background No systematic review has been conducted to pool the existing evidence and quantify cancer prevalence rates in cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). We aimed to estimate pooled cancer prevalence in coronary artery disease (CAD), heart failure (HF), atrial fibrillation (AF), hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM), stroke, peripheral arterial disease (PAD), and valvular heart diseases (VHD). Methods PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus were searched from 2010 to July 2024. The outcomes were proportions of patients with active, any, previous, blood, solid, and metastatic cancer. The prevalence rates were estimated via one-step generalized linear mixed models. Results Totally, we retrieved 676 studies with enrollment of roughly 180 million participants. The analysis for active cancer included 59 studies with a population of 4,759,695 patients. The pooled prevalence of active cancer was 4.22% (95% confidence interval (CI) 2.18-5.32), 4.43% (95% CI 2.78-6.38), 4.60% (95% CI 1.72-8.13), 4.61% (95% CI, 2.83-6.97), 4.90% (95% CI 3.84-6.37), and 5.55% (95% CI 3.97-7.01) in patients with type 2 DM, chronic HF, any stroke, CAD, VHD, and AF. For any cancer, prevalence rates ranged from 14.10% (95% CI 12.20-15.99) in AF to 7.04% (95% CI 6.05-8.03) in CAD. Conclusion Pooled prevalence rates demonstrate a measurable burden of cancer among patients with a wide range of CVDs, highlighting the need for multidisciplinary management in this population.

Five-year cancer incidence after new cardiovascular disease: a population study

Patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) have an increased risk of cancer, partly due to shared risk factors, chronic inflammation and systemic mediators. However, most previous studies have focused on individuals with pre-existing CVD. Whether patients with a new diagnosis of CVD are at particularly high risk of incident cancer, and whether the spectrum of cancer types differs from that of the general population, remains insufficiently explored. To describe the five-year incidence of cancer in patients with a new diagnosis of CVD in our healthcare area and to compare the distribution of cancer types with that reported in the general population. We conducted a population-based cohort study using clinical databases from our healthcare area. All adults (>18 years) without a previous history of cancer who were newly diagnosed with CVD between 2010 and 2022 were included. Incident cancers diagnosed between 3 months and 5 years after the index CVD diagnosis were recorded. The incidence and distribution of cancer types were analysed and compared with data from the general population. A total of 9,900 patients with newly diagnosed CVD and no prior cancer history were identified. The mean age of the cohort was 64 years, 43% were women, and comorbidities were frequent. During follow-up, 1,922 patients (19.4%) developed incident cancer within five years. Patients who developed cancer were more often male, older, and had a higher burden of comorbidities than those who did not. Among CVD subtypes, chronic heart failure was associated with the highest risk of incident cancer. The most frequently diagnosed cancers were gastrointestinal (27%), lung (14.5%), genitourinary (13.5%) and male reproductive system cancers (13.4%). In our healthcare area, the five-year incidence of cancer following a new diagnosis of CVD was markedly high. Moreover, the distribution of cancer types in this population differed from that of the general population, with a higher proportion of genitourinary cancers and a lower proportion of breast cancer. These findings highlight the importance of cancer awareness and surveillance strategies in patients with newly diagnosed CVD.Table.Basal characteristics.  Figure.Types of incident cancer.