Key result
Cancer survivorship is linked to ~22% higher odds of prevalent cardiovascular disease vs cancer-free controls.
Why the study?
Contemporary trends and the independent association between cancer survivorship and prevalent CVD remain incompletely characterized.
Is cancer survivorship independently associated with an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease in US adults?
Cross-Sectional (n=829,958)
Yes
Is cancer survivorship independently associated with an increased prevalence of cardiovascular disease in US adults?
Cancer survivorship is independently associated with a persistently elevated cardiovascular disease burden, particularly among younger individuals and those without traditional metabolic comorbidities, highlighting the need for expanded cardio-oncology surveillance.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Supports heightened CVD vigilance in cancer survivors; extends cross-sectional data but leaves causal inference and surveillance strategies open for prospective studies.
Background Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of morbidity among cancer survivors. However, contemporary trends and independent association between cancer survivorship and prevalent CVD remain incompletely characterized. Methods Using 2016 to 2024 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System data, we analyzed 2 nationally representative cohorts of US adults. A trend cohort (n=3 642 415) assessed age‐standardized CVD prevalence via Joinpoint regression. An association cohort (n=829 958) isolated the association between cancer survivorship and CVD using inverse probability of treatment weighting. Results From 2016 to 2024, age‐standardized CVD prevalence among cancer survivors was persistently double that of the general population (12.9%–15.0% versus 6.8%), with no significant temporal decline. In unadjusted analysis to determine the absolute burden, survivors had 11.7% higher CVD prevalence than controls. After inverse probability of treatment weighting adjustment, a significant absolute prevalence difference of 3.0% persisted. Consequently, cancer survivorship was independently associated with prevalent CVD (odds ratio [OR], 1.22 [95% CI, 1.18–1.27=; E ‐value=1.76). Associations were stronger among survivors aged <65 years (OR, 1.82 [95% CI, 1.58–2.08]) and those without traditional metabolic comorbidities (OR, 1.71 [95% CI, 1.50–1.95]). Site‐specific analyses revealed robust independent associations for prostate and colorectal cancers, whereas associations observed for breast and lung cancers were largely attenuated after adjustment for age and smoking‐related factors, respectively. Conclusions The CVD burden among US cancer survivors remains persistently high. Independent of traditional factors, cancer survivorship is associated with a distinct cardiovascular burden, particularly among younger individuals and those with a low‐risk metabolic profile. These findings support extending cardiovascular surveillance to conventionally low‐risk subgroups.
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Liu et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Cancer survivorship and Cardiovascular disease (n=829,958). Cancer survivorship vs. Cancer-free general population was evaluated on Prevalent cardiovascular disease (composite of lifetime diagnosis of myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, or stroke) (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.18-1.27, p=<0.001). Cancer survivorship was independently associated with a 22% higher odds of prevalent cardiovascular disease (OR 1.22) compared to cancer-free controls, with an absolute prevalence difference of 3.0%.
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