Association Between Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer Development: Insights From a Nationwide...

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Nephrology
• Metabolic Health
• Oncology

Background:

• Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome integrates cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic disorders.
• CKM syndrome shares risk factors with cancer, but the direct link to cancer risk is not well-established.
• A large-scale, nationwide population study is needed to explore this longitudinal association.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the longitudinal association between Cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome stage and incident cancer risk.
• To determine if advancing CKM stage correlates with a higher likelihood of developing cancer.
• To provide evidence for integrated risk assessment and prevention strategies in multimorbid individuals.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective cohort study utilizing the DeSC administrative claims database in Japan (April 2014 - August 2023).
• Analysis of 1,390,901 participants, excluding those with prior cancer or missing data.
• Baseline CKM stage (0-4) defined using the 2023 AHA statement; incident cancer (ICD-10 C00-C97) as the primary outcome.
• Cox proportional hazards models used for analysis, adjusting for multiple covariates.

Main Results:

• Higher baseline CKM stages (1-4) were significantly associated with increased cancer risk compared to Stage 0.
• Adjusted hazard ratios for cancer ranged from 1.03 (Stage 1) to 1.30 (Stage 4).
• Associations remained consistent across cancer types and in subgroup/sensitivity analyses, confirming robustness.

Conclusions:

• Advancing CKM stage, particularly Stages 3 and 4, is a significant predictor of increased cancer risk.
• The CKM framework has implications beyond cardiovascular and kidney health, extending to cancer risk.
• Integrated risk assessment and prevention are crucial for individuals with multimorbidity within the CKM spectrum.