Health

Study finds men with heart disease face higher risk of developing and dying from cancer

A 25-year analysis of 22,000 UK participants links cardiovascular disease to increased cancer incidence and mortality, particularly among men.

Updated Aug 24, 2026 · 00:32 UTC1 reports

The short version

A long-term study conducted by the University of Aberdeen and Keele University found that people with cardiovascular disease have higher rates of cancer and cancer mortality.
The elevated risk was significantly more pronounced in men, who had a 17.3% lifetime cancer risk when living with heart disease, compared to 12.8% for women.
Shared lifestyle factors like smoking, obesity, and excessive alcohol intake were cited as key drivers, particularly for lung and oesophageal cancers.
Cardiologists and cancer charities are calling for expanded medical pathways to screen and prevent cancer in cardiac patients.

Researchers evaluated 25 years of health data from approximately 22,000 UK individuals, around half of whom had or developed cardiovascular disease.[The Guardian]
Men with cardiovascular disease showed a 17.3% lifetime cancer risk compared to 10.2% for men without cardiovascular disease.[The Guardian]
Women with cardiovascular disease had a 12.8% lifetime cancer risk compared to 8.2% for women without the condition.[The Guardian]
The correlation was strongest in lung, oesophageal, gastric, bowel, and non-melanoma skin cancers, with increased mortality observed for lung, gastric, and oesophageal cancers among men with heart disease.[The Guardian]
The study was published in the peer-reviewed European Heart Journal.[The Guardian]

Researchers and Cancer Research UK noted that further research is required to fully determine the exact biological or socioeconomic mechanisms explaining why the link between heart disease and cancer is stronger in men than in women.[The Guardian]