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• Posted January 6, 2025

The Heart Disease, Breast Cancer Link

Heart disease and cancer might seem completely unrelated, but these two top causes of death sometimes act in concert.

Women with heart disease appear to have a greater risk of aggressive breast cancer, according to a new study published Jan. 2 in JAMA Network Open.

In fact, women with advanced breast cancer were 10% more likely to have had pre-existing heart disease, researchers found.

“Cardiovascular disease can induce an immunosuppressive state, potentially fostering accelerated breast tumor cell growth and spread,” senior researcher Dr. Kevin Nead, an assistant professor of epidemiology and radiation oncology with the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, said in a news release from the college.

“Our findings suggest that women with cardiovascular disease may be more likely to be diagnosed with advanced breast cancer, highlighting a potential connection between the two,” Nead added.

Heart disease is the leading U.S. cause of death, with cancer next, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

For the study, researchers analyzed data from more than 19,000 women diagnosed with invasive breast cancer between 2009 and 2020. Of the women, 49% had heart disease.

Results showed that heart disease came with a greater risk of advanced breast cancer, particularly for a breast cancer subtype that constitutes nearly 70% of all cases.

Women with HR+/HER2- breast cancer were 11% more likely to have pre-existing heart disease, researchers found. HR+ means the cancer is fueled by female hormones, and HER2- means it lacks a growth factor that is a target for cancer drugs. 

The five-year relative survival rate for HR+/HER2- breast cancer that’s spread to other parts of the body is only 34%, researchers noted.

“The study could help inform personalized screening strategies, as it suggests that individuals with CVD may benefit from earlier or more frequent breast cancer screenings to catch the disease at an earlier, more treatable stage," Nead concluded.

More information

The American Cancer Society has more about breast cancer.

SOURCE: JAMA Network Open, study, Jan. 2, 2025; University of Texas, news release, Jan. 2, 2025