Is there a relationship between heart disease and breast cancer?

An American study revealed that heart disease in women increases the risk of developing an aggressive type of breast cancer and accelerates its spread.

As part of the study published by the scientific journal “Jama Network Open”, which specializes in scientific research, researchers from the Texas MD Anderson Cancer Research Center found that women who suffer from heart disease have an increased risk of developing aggressive breast cancer.

During the study, researchers analyzed data on more than 19,000 women with advanced cases of breast cancer during the period between 2009 and 2020. Among this group, 49% of them were found to suffer from heart disease.

The study showed that heart disease increases the risk of developing advanced types of breast cancer, especially a subtype that constitutes approximately 70% of all cases of the disease, as it was found that 11% of HR+/HER 2 breast cancer patients have a history of heart disease.

Researcher Kevin Ned, an oncologist at the MD Anderson Center, says: “Cardiovascular disease leads to the activation of immunosuppressive activity within the body, which enhances the growth and spread of cancer cells.”

He added in statements to the Medical Express website, which specializes in medical research: “The results of the study indicate that women with heart disease have an increased risk of developing advanced cases of cancer, which highlights the link between the two diseases.”

According to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States, while cancer comes in second place.

Ned believes that this study “confirms the importance of heart patients being keen to undergo frequent and early screening for breast cancer, so that the disease can be detected at an early stage and treated while it is still in the stage in which the chances of recovery increase.” (Arabic)