Examining the interplay between cardiovascular disease and cancer incidence: Data from NHANES III and continuous

Abstract

IntroductionThis study aimed to investigate the relationship between risk factors of cancer among individuals with existing cardiovascular disease (CVD). MethodsThe analysis included 438 and 2100 CVD patients aged 65+ from NHANES-III and Continuous datasets, respectively. Competing risk models with subdistribution hazards ratio (aHR) were used to identify risk factors. ResultsFemales in NHANES-III had lower cancer risk (aHR 0.39, P = 0.001) compared to males. Poor physical activity was associated with increased cancer risk in both datasets (aHR 2.59 in NHANES-III, aHR 1.59 in Continuous). In NHANES-Continuous, age (aHR 1.07, P < 0.001) and current smoking (aHR 2.55, P = 0.001) also showed a significant association with developing cancer. No other factors investigated showed significant associations. DiscussionThis study highlights the interplay between traditional risk factors and the elevated risk of cancer in CVD patients. Further research with larger samples and wider age ranges is needed to solidify these findings and inform intervention strategies.