ABSTRACT Cancer patients often have comorbidities that complicate treatment and worsen outcomes. Despite ongoing discussions, the interactions between comorbidities and cancer remain insufficiently understood. In addition, a widely accepted consensus on the document, assessment, and management of these comorbidities has not yet been established. This review aims to systematically synthesize current knowledge and propose a comprehensive framework for addressing these gaps. It summarizes the epidemiology and analyzes the clinical impacts of comorbidities on cancer patients, emphasizing the critical role of effective management of cancer comorbidities. It further examines key management challenges, including gaps in mechanisms and clinical evidence, the lack of precise assessment tools, limited management frameworks, and underdeveloped multidisciplinary collaborations. To address the complex interactions between cancer and comorbidities, this review proposes the establishment of Oncology‐Comorbidity as a novel discipline and Oncology‐Comorbidity Interaction Pathology as a theoretical framework. The assistance of artificial intelligence and real‐world data, together with effective multidisciplinary collaborations, is emphasized as an essential management strategy. Comprehensive, patient‐centered Life‐Course Cohort Studies are identified as indispensable tools. Ultimately, this review aims to advance the understanding of cancer‐comorbidity interactions, provide a roadmap for optimizing comorbidities management, and offer an effective pathway to improve prognosis and quality of life for cancer patients.
Peng et al. (2026) studied this question.