Cancer survivors with obesity had more cardiovascular disease
Cardiovascular conditions affected 28.2% of cancer survivors with obesity, versus 15.6% of adults with obesity alone, despite lower levels of an inflammation marker.
Our read
Mechanisms- Studied:
- Cross-sectional study of 325 cancer survivors with obesity, against adults with obesity alone
- What changed:
- Cardiovascular disease was higher in cancer survivors with obesity: 28.2% against 15.6% in adults with obesity alone
- The catch:
- The blood-cell pattern may have followed cardiovascular disease rather than preceding it
Editor of record: Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
Cancer survivors with obesity were compared with adults with obesity alone in a cross-sectional observational analysis of the 2021–2023 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. The survey included 11,933 people, including 325 cancer survivors with obesity. Researchers assessed five cardiovascular conditions, including heart attack and stroke.
Survivors had more cardiovascular disease but lower levels of C-reactive protein, a blood marker of inflammation. Their ratio of neutrophils to lymphocytes, two types of white blood cells, was higher: 2.35 versus 1.92. This ratio was independently associated with cardiovascular conditions. The analysis also found higher cardiovascular event prevalence in men than women, despite higher C-reactive protein levels in women.
Why it matters
Cardiovascular disease threatens health in later life, including after cancer. The authors called for trials using the white blood cell ratio as an inflammation marker.
Caveats
The cross-sectional survey could not determine whether the blood-cell pattern preceded cardiovascular disease or followed it. The findings were reported in a conference abstract.
The paper
Dayanand Med College
AHA Scientific Sessions 2026 Abstract, Nov 2, 2026
Presented at AHA Scientific Sessions 2026, abstract 7228
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