Sign in Subscribe
Cancer

Cancer Survivors at Increased Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

Research published in the journal Supportive Care in Cancer has investigated the association between changes in smoking behavior and specific cardiovascular disease (CVD) outcomes in cancer survivors. Investigators found that cancer survivors who continued to smoke after their diagnosis were at significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular diseases such as myocardial infarction (MI), ischemic stroke (IS), heart failure (HF), and atrial fibrillation (AF). The study included a large cohort of 269,917 cancer survivors, aged 45.6% male with a mean age of 56.3 years, who were followed for a mean of 4.1 years.

Key Takeaways:

  • The study found that cancer survivors who continued to smoke after their diagnosis were 1.64 times more likely to experience a myocardial infarction (MI) compared to sustained non-smokers.
  • Cancer survivors who initiated or relapsed into smoking had a 1.53 times higher risk of MI compared to quitters.
  • Smoking cessation after cancer diagnosis was associated with a lower risk of MI, IS, HF, and AF compared to sustained smokers.
  • The study highlighted the importance of smoking cessation throughout the cancer care trajectory, especially at the period of cancer diagnosis to reduce risk of adverse cardiovascular events.
  • The research included 269,917 cancer survivors diagnosed with cancer between 2010 and 2016, with a mean age of 56.3 years, representing 45.6% male and 54.4% female.
  • The study found 2699 MI, 3089 IS, 9326 HF, and 2444 AF events occurred among cancer survivors.

Statistics:

  • 45.6% of cancer survivors in the study were male.
  • The mean age of cancer survivors was 56.3 years.
  • Cancer survivors were followed for a mean of 4.1 years.
  • 1.64 (1.44-1.88) was the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for MI in sustained smokers compared to sustained non-smokers.
  • 1.61 (1.43-1.83) was the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for IS in sustained smokers compared to sustained non-smokers.
  • 1.55 (1.44-1.67) was the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for HF in sustained smokers compared to sustained non-smokers.
  • 1.22 (1.05-1.41) was the adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) for AF in sustained smokers compared to sustained non-smokers.

Sources:

  • Jung J, Cho IY, Jung W, et al. Smoking behavior changes and risk of cardiovascular diseases after cancer diagnosis: a nationwide cohort study. Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025;33(9):813.
  • Supportive Care in Cancer. (2025). Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine Details Findings in Heart Attack (Smoking behavior changes and risk of cardiovascular diseases after cancer diagnosis: a nationwide cohort study). Cancer Weekly. September 16, 2025; p 4562.

Read more