Smoking Increases Cardiovascular Disease Risk for Cancer Survivors: Study

A recent study conducted by researchers at Yonsei University College of Medicine has found that cancer survivors who smoke are at a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Smoking is already recognized as a leading cause of cardiovascular conditions like myocardial infarction and stroke.

However, the specific impact of smoking on the risk of cardiovascular disease among cancer survivors, particularly those who have become immunocompromised due to cancer treatment, has not been well-understood.

Previous studies have shown that a significant number of both active and passive smokers continue smoking even after being diagnosed with cancer. This prompted the research team, led by Professors Kim Hyeon-chang and Lee Ho-kyou and Clinical Instructor Lee Hyeok-hee, to investigate the correlation between smoking and cardiovascular disease risk in cancer survivors.

The study analyzed data from the National Health Insurance Service, focusing on over 309,000 cancer survivors aged 20 and older who had been diagnosed between 2006 and 2013. The participants had undergone a national health examination before and after their cancer diagnosis.

The researchers divided the participants into four groups based on smoking habits: never smoked, new or relapse smokers, those who quit after diagnosis, and continued smokers. They then analyzed the risk of cardiovascular disease in each group.

The results revealed that the new or relapse smokers group had a 51 percent higher risk of cardiovascular disease compared to those who had never smoked. Furthermore, the group that had never smoked had a 36 percent lower risk of cardiovascular disease compared to the continued smoker group.

Interestingly, the study also found that even significant reduction in smoking did not significantly lower the risk of cardiovascular disease. This highlights the importance of quitting smoking completely to prevent cardiovascular complications.

The research team hopes that their study, which is the first to demonstrate the increased risk of cardiovascular disease among smoking cancer survivors, will help guide and support smoking cessation programs for this vulnerable population. The findings have been published in the European Heart Journal.