Cardiovascular Disease Meets Cancer: Exploring the Epidemiology in China and Homotherapy Targeting Intersectional...

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer currently rank among the leading causes of mortality worldwide. Epidemiological studies reveal considerable overlap between CVD and cancer populations, posing challenges in the development of common clinical interventions. This review integrates global perspectives on the shared burden of CVD and cancer, with a focused analysis of regional and demographic disparities within China, as well as significant geographic and lifestyle diversity. This review explores preventive and therapeutic strategies by examining shared risk factors and intersectional mechanisms. First, as the easiest and most effective way, lifestyle modifications that benefit both CVD and cancer are summarized, including physical activity, diet modification, sleep pattern changes, and a reduction in tobacco and alcohol use. Key mechanistic intersections between CVD and cancer, such as metabolic regulation, immune-inflammation, and gut microbes, are discussed to extrapolate prospective homotherapy. Furthermore, the current status and challenges in various promising homotherapy for heteropathy between CVD and cancer are highlighted, especially emphasizing the use of conventional and newly developed CVD medications that may also confer benefits in cancer prevention or treatments. By bridging global trends with China-specific insights, this review aims to advance more precise and equitable prevention and treatments, ultimately reducing the combined burden of these two interconnected diseases.