Increased incidence risks of cardiovascular disease among cancer patients: Evidence from a population-based cohort study in China.

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is becoming a major concern among cancer patients, leading to the development of a new field named cardio-oncology. However, previous studies were mainly based on the western population and focused on CVD mortality. Evidence from the Chinese population is limited. Furthermore, few studies investigated the incidence risks of CVD among cancer patients. METHODS: 85,787 eligible cancer patients were included from Hangzhou city, China. Age-standardized standard incidence ratio (SIR) was used to reflect the incidence risks of CVD among cancer patients as compared with the standard population, which was defined as all residents in Hangzhou city during the same period. RESULTS: After three years of follow-up, cancer patients showed elevated incidence risks of CVD (SIR = 1.41, 95%CI: 1.35-1.47) as compared with the standard population. The elevated risks of CVD were highest in the first year after cancer diagnosis (SIR = 1.68, 95%CI: 1.58-1.78), then followed by the second (SIR = 1.21, 95%CI: 1.11-1.31) and the third (SIR = 1.18, 95%CI: 1.07-1.29) year. These results were consistent in males and females. Furthermore, different risks of CVD were observed among different cancer sites. Patients with pancreatic cancer showed the highest risks of CVD, then followed by liver cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer, gastric cancer, bladder cancer, prostate cancer, and colorectal cancer. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer patients have increased incidence risks of CVD, especially in the first year after cancer diagnosis. The increased risks of CVD vary by different cancer sites. Our findings highlight the importance of paying close attention to the CVD risks among cancer patients.