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The Association Between Cancer Incidence and Heart Failure: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Sabah Mohammed Al-Harazi1, Barani Karikalan2, Meram Azzani3
1Early Clinical Exposure and Professional Personal Development, Faculty of Medicine, MAHSA University, Jenjarom 42610, Selangor, Malaysia.
Diagnostics (Basel, Switzerland)
|July 15, 2026
Summary
Heart failure (HF) patients show increased risks for specific cancers, including lung, urinary tract, hematological, and colorectal types. Enhanced cancer surveillance is recommended for individuals with heart failure.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Oncology
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Heart failure (HF) and cancer share underlying molecular and pathophysiological mechanisms.
- The relationship between heart failure and cancer incidence risk is not well-established.
- This study aims to clarify the association between HF and cancer risk.
Purpose of the Study:
- To systematically review and meta-analyze the association between heart failure and cancer incidence.
- To pool data comparing cancer incidence in HF patients versus non-HF controls.
- To quantify pooled hazard ratios (HRs) for site-specific cancers in HF patients.
Main Methods:
- Systematic literature search across four databases until March 2025.
- Inclusion of seven studies with over 1.6 million participants.
- Random-effects models used to calculate pooled HRs and 95% CIs for cancer risk.
Main Results:
- Overall cancer risk in HF patients was not statistically significant (HR 1.32; 95% CI: 0.94-1.85).
- Significantly elevated risks observed for lung (HR 1.66), urinary tract (HR 1.66), hematological (HR 1.47), and colorectal cancers (HR 1.38).
- Substantial heterogeneity noted for most cancer sites, except urinary tract cancers.
Conclusions:
- Despite non-significant overall cancer risk, specific cancer sites show elevated risks in HF patients.
- Findings suggest a need for heightened cancer surveillance in individuals with heart failure.
- Future research should standardize HF definitions, confounder adjustment, and stratify by HF phenotype.
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