Cancer survivors have a higher risk of cardiovascular disease

A new study adds to the growing body of evidence that cancer survivors may be at an increased risk for developing cardiovascular disease later in life. Researchers looked at nearly 110,000 cancer survivors and compared them to a group of more than 520,000 controls. They found that the risk for deep vein thrombosis was increased in 18 of the 20 cancer types included in the study, including pancreatic and prostate cancer, versus controls. Some of the cancer types — including lung, kidney, and ovarian cancers — also seemed to carry with them an elevated risk of heart failure or heart disease. Cancer survivors who didn’t have a history of cardiovascular disease surprisingly had an elevated risk for heart failure and deep vein thrombosis, while those who had received chemotherapy had an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease.