Risk of comorbid cardiovascular disease in Korean long-term cancer survivors

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a common cause of death in cancer survivors. We evaluated the risk of comorbid CVD in long-term cancer survivors according to specific cancer site. Methods: Study subjects included 47,171 Koreans aged over 40 years who visited a health promotion centre between 2010 and 2012. Information on CVD and cancer was obtained from self-report. Comorbid CVD was defined as stroke, myocardial infarction or angina pectoris. The risk of comorbid CVD in survivors was compared with that in non-cancer subjects using multiple logistic regression analysis. Results: Among cancer survivors (n = 3,753), 330 events of CVD were reported. Age- and sex-adjusted analysis showed that odds ratio (OR) for comorbid CVD in survivors was 1.52 (95% confidence interval: 1.34–1.72) compared to non-cancer subjects (n = 43,418). After adjusting for health-related behaviour and medical history, only lung cancer survivors had 2.44 (1.01–5.89)-fold higher OR for CVD. In stratified analysis, significantly higher OR for CVD was evident in lung cancer survivors with hypertension who did not perform regular physical exercise. Conclusions: Adult cancer survivors may have an increased risk of comorbid CVD that might be mediated in part by known cardiovascular risk factors depending on the specific cancer site.