Cancer Patients Face Significantly Higher Risk of Cardiovascular Death, New Study Reveals
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A new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association on December 30, 2025, demonstrates a substantially increased risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and death among individuals diagnosed with cancer. The research, based on data from nearly 380,000 participants, highlights a critical need for heightened cardiovascular monitoring and preventative care within the cancer patient population.
Cancer Diagnosis Linked to Increased CVD Mortality
Researchers analyzed data from 379,944 patients, finding that 65,047 received a cancer diagnosis during the study’s follow-up period. The analysis revealed significantly higher mortality rates from CVD (P < .0001), atherosclerotic CVD (ASCVD) (P < .0001), and all causes (P < .0001) for those with cancer compared to those without. A multivariate Cox analysis confirmed that cancer was a statistically significant risk factor for CVD-related death.
Dramatic Increase in Cardiovascular Risk
Patients with cancer exhibited a striking increase in risk for several cardiovascular outcomes. Specifically, the study found a 2.46-fold increased risk of cardiovascular death (95% CI, 2.30-2.63), a 2.10-fold increase in ASCVD death (95% CI, 1.93-2.30), and a remarkable 17.30-fold increase in all-cause mortality (95% CI, 16.88-17.73). Even after rigorous adjustments for potential confounding factors, the elevated risk persisted. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHR) indicated a 1.50-fold risk of cardiovascular death (95% CI, 1.40-1.61), a 1.25-fold risk of ASCVD death (95% CI, 1.14-1.37), and a 12.17-fold risk of all-cause mortality (95% CI, 11.86-12.49) among cancer patients.
Subgroup Analysis Reveals Nuances
A deeper dive into the data through subgroup analysis revealed that the association between cancer and cardiovascular mortality was consistent across most demographics, with one notable exception: patients who identified as Black did not demonstrate the same increased risk. Significant interactions were observed when adjusting for age (P < .001), sex (P = .001), smoking status (P = .003), hypertension (P < .001), and a history of diabetes (P = .006).
Notably, cancer patients without a prior diagnosis of hypertension faced a 2.02-fold higher risk of cardiovascular death (95% CI, 1.81-2.25) compared to those without cancer. Similarly, cancer patients without diabetes experienced a 1.74-fold increased risk (95% CI, 1.61-1.88) compared to their counterparts without cancer.
Genetic and Proteomic Insights
The study employed advanced proteomic and genetic analyses to explore the underlying mechanisms driving this increased risk. Researchers identified 382 plasma proteins that were upregulated and 282 that were downregulated in cancer patients compared to controls. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) revealed 70 genetic variants associated with cancer, while a phenome-wide association study (PheWAS) linked these variants to cancer-related diseases like prostate hyperplasia and malignant neoplasms. Furthermore, 32 of the identified variants were also associated with cardiovascular, respiratory, and dermatological conditions.
“Our study concluded that patients with cancer have a higher risk of cardiovascular mortality compared with populations without cancer,” stated a senior investigator. “Plasma proteomic analysis demonstrated that upregulated proteins in patients with cancer were enriched in pathways related to complement and coagulation, and inflammation. GWAS and PheWAS analyses revealed a close genetic connection between cancer and tumor‐related diseases, but few CVDs shared common genetic variants with cancer.”
Patient Characteristics and Cancer Types
The average age of patients with cancer was 59.71 years ± 7.05, compared to 55.51 years ± 8.13 for those without cancer (P < .001). The study population was predominantly White (96.7% vs 93.2%, respectively), with smaller percentages identifying as Asian (1.6% vs 3.7%), Black (0.3% vs 0.8%), or mixed/other (0.8% vs 1.7%). Alcohol consumption was high across both groups (92.4% vs 91.5%), while approximately half of participants in both groups had never smoked (49.2% vs 56.0%).
The most frequently diagnosed cancer types were skin cancer (34.10%), prostate cancer (13.50%), breast cancer (12.90%), and gastrointestinal cancers (12.90%). The study also found that younger cancer patients faced a higher risk of cardiovascular death compared to those over 75. The highest risk of CVD and ASCVD mortality was observed in patients with lymphoma/other hematological cancers, head and neck cancers, and breast cancer, while prostate, gastrointestinal, and lung cancers were associated with the lowest risk.
Implications for Clinical Practice
The researchers observed that the risk of CVD-related death increased during the first three years after a cancer diagnosis, then gradually decreased over the subsequent seven years. “The increased cardiovascular risk in patients with cancer is primarily attributed to changes in the expression of inflammation‐ and coagulation‐related proteins,” the authors concluded. “In clinical practice, greater attention should be given to managing endocrine, kidney, and inflammation‐related risk factors in the population with cancer.”
Reference: Du Y, Han S, Cheng J, et al. Risk of cardiovascular disease mortality in patients with diagnosed cancer and associated genetic and proteomic mechanisms: A UK Biobank-based cohort study. J Am Heart Assoc. Published online December 30, 2025. doi:10.1161/JAHA.125.044826.
