Scientists have found a link between a diagnosis of colorectal cancer at younger
- The average age for people to be diagnosed with colorectal cancer is
66 years; however, recent research shows a marked increase in young
adults.
- Colorectal cancer can increase a person’s risk for heart disease.
- A new study found people diagnosed with colorectal cancer have a
higher probability of dying from cardiovascular issues.
- This increase in risk was especially apparent within the first two
years after diagnosis and in people under the age of 50.
More than 1.9 million people around the world were diagnosed
with colorectal cancer in 2020, which affects the large
intestine (colon) and the rectum.
While the average age for
colorectal cancer diagnosis is about 66 years old, recent studies show there is
a marked increase in the amount of younger adults being diagnosed.
Research presented in
May 2024 reported that colon cancer rates increased by 71% in adults ages 30 to
34 and 58% in adults ages 35 to 39 between 1999 and 2020.
Having colorectal cancer
may increase a person’s risk for several diseases, including other cancers such
as pancreatic and prostate
cancers, as well as heart disease.
Now, a new study has found that people diagnosed
with colorectal cancer have a higher probability of dying from cardiovascular
issues than the general population. This increase is especially seen in the
first two years after their diagnosis and in people under the age of 50.
The study was recently
presented at the American College of Cardiology’s Annual
Scientific Session (ACC.25) but the results have yet to be
published in a peer-reviewed journal.
What’s the
link between colon cancer and heart disease?
For this study,
researchers analyzed medical data of more than 630,000 U.S. adults diagnosed
with colorectal cancer between 2000 to 2021 from the National Cancer Institute’s
Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) database.
This data also included
cardiovascular health information, including mortality from heart
disease, stroke, high blood
pressure, aortic aneurysm,
or atherosclerosis.
“It’s important for
researchers to continue studying how colorectal cancer impacts other areas of a
person’s health because cancer is not just a localized disease — it can have
widespread effects on the body including, but not limited to, systemic effects
of cancer, metastasis and secondary conditions, treatment side effects,
psychological and emotional health, and co-existing conditions,” Ahsan Ayaz,
MD, an internal medicine resident at Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall
Hospital in New York, and a member of the research team told Medical
News Today.
“Colorectal
cancer and cardiovascular disease share common risk factors, such as obesity, smoking,
poor diet, physical inactivity, and chronic inflammation. Studying this link
helps determine whether these factors contribute to increased mortality in
colorectal cancer patients.”— Ahsan Ayaz, MD
“Additionally, data from
various studies have demonstrated association of cardiovascular toxicity with
cancer treatments,” he added. “Some colorectal cancer treatments, like chemotherapy and radiation, can negatively impact the heart and blood vessels,
increasing the risk of heart disease, hypertension, or blood clots.”
2.4 times
increased risk of dying from heart disease
At the study’s
conclusion, Ayaz and his team found that people with colorectal cancer were 16%
more likely to die of heart disease-related causes than people without this
type of cancer.
They found that people with colorectal cancer had a
45% increased risk of dying from heart disease within the first two years of
their diagnosis.
“(These findings
signify) that (the) first two years is a crucial time period where the risk of
cardiovascular mortality can be modified by devising certain strategies to
address the modifiable cardiovascular risk factors to improve survival in
cancer patients,” Ayaz said.
The heart disease-related mortality risk was
especially seen in people under the age of 50, who were 2.4 times more likely
to die from cardiovascular causes than those in the same age group without
colon cancer.
“This is the most
important finding of our study,” Ayaz said. “Data have shown that incidence of
colorectal cancer has been increasing in (the) younger population. There could
be an association with certain genetic markers, but data are lacking about this
and needs to be further explored in future studies. This patient population
probably needs aggressive cardiovascular care after receiving a diagnosis of
colorectal cancer with (a) multidisciplinary approach.”
“Patients with
colorectal cancer, particularly those among high-risk subgroups, should receive
specialized cardio-oncological care particularly within two years of initial
diagnosis,” Ayaz added. “We plan to conduct a systematic review and
meta-analysis of published colorectal cancer clinical trials to assess the risk
factors associated with increased risk of cardiovascular mortality.”
The relationship between colorectal cancer, heart
disease not yet clear
MNT had the opportunity to speak with Cheng-Han
Chen, MD, a board certified interventional cardiologist and medical
director of the Structural Heart Program at MemorialCare Saddleback Medical
Center in Laguna Hills, CA, about this study.
“This study found an
association between colorectal cancer and an increased risk of mortality from
cardiovascular disease,” Chen commented. “The reasons for such an association
are not well understood but will be important to understand in order to help
improve health outcomes for these patients.”
“While
cancer itself can be deadly, it can frequently influence a person’s health by
increasing their risk of other comorbid conditions. By better understanding the
relationship between cancer and heart disease, it may potentially even be
possible to improve cancer survival rates by better managing patients’
cardiovascular risk factors.”— Cheng-Han Chen, MD
“There needs to be much
more research on the potential mechanisms that could explain how cancer would
influence cardiovascular mortality,” Chen added.
Young adults
should also be checked for heart disease
MNT also spoke with Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, surgical oncologist, chief of
medicine, and director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at
Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA, about this
research.
Bilchik commented that
this study demonstrates that young patients who develop colon cancer are at
higher risk for cardiovascular disease.
“The
importance of this is that these patients once diagnosed with colorectal cancer
should be worked up for cardiovascular disease and treated appropriately.
Furthermore, it provides further evidence that there may be similar causes for
both cardiovascular disease and colorectal cancer, such as inflammation, diet,
and obesity.”— Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD
“These findings are
extremely important because of the large increase in young patients being
diagnosed with colorectal cancer and provides some insight into causation which
can lead to more effective preventive options,” Bilchik added. “This is a large
retrospective population-based study. Prospective trials are needed
particularly in higher risk individuals to validate these findings.”
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