Cardiovascular Disease and Cancer: Is There Increasing Overlap?

Cancer and cardiovascular disease are the leading causes of mortality in the USA. In this review, we highlight these shared disease pathways and provide a framework for a systems-based approach to reduce overall risk burden.

From traditional risk factors such as age and tobacco use to more recently recognized entities including clonal hematopoiesis, we are gaining insights into shared mechanisms. Because of these overlapping risks, providers on each level of patient care (primary care providers, cardiologists, oncologists) need to recognize and reduce these underlying risk factors. There is significant overlap in the epidemiology and risk factors for the development of cardiovascular disease and cancer, providing opportunities for joint risk factor modification.