Cancer Education Center
The Stephen and Barbara Slaggie Cancer Education Center is closed for walk-in assistance and group classes to avoid transmission risk during COVID-19. Staff are available by appointment only. To schedule, call 507-266-2991 or email canceredprog@mayo.edu.
See “MORE” to find recordings and classes typically offered within the Cancer Education Center in Rochester, MN. Topics include Reducing Fatigue, Moving Forward After Cancer, Nutrition and Cancer, Physical Activity, Stress Management and more!
Article contributed by Adam Shultz, MS, Clinical Exercise Physiologist
Cardiac Rehabilitation and Cardio-Oncology Exercise Program
Mayo Clinic, Department of Cardiology
Common Threads
Cancer and cardiovascular disease (disease of the heart and/or blood vessels) share several risk factors. Risk factors are features that make it more likely for someone to develop a disease. Examples of risk factors that cancer and cardiovascular disease share include: chronic inflammation, obesity, diabetes, abnormal blood cholesterol levels, tobacco use, poor nutritional habits, excessive alcohol use, and physical inactivity.1, 2
About 20-30% of cancer survivors also have cardiovascular disease.1 Having both diseases can be due in part to things we have control over. These are called modifiable risk factors and include lifestyle habits such as physical activity and nutrition. Things we do not have control over can also contribute. These are called non-modifiable risk factors and include age, sex, and race/ethnicity.2
Being diagnosed with cancer can present challenges in regards to preventing cardiovascular disease. First, cancer treatments themselves can cause damage to the heart and blood vessels. Second, cancer treatments can cause people to become less physically active and gain weight. This process can also contribute to cardiovascular disease.3, 4
Decreasing Risk
Controlling risk factors helps to reduce the risk of developing both cancer and cardiovascular disease. The American Heart Association has listed seven measures that address risk factors and promote cardiovascular health. These include:
Researchers have noted that people who met six of the seven measures decreased their cancer rate by 51% when compared to those who met none.6 Cardiac risk factors also play a role in the damage that cancer therapy may cause to the heart and blood vessels. High blood pressure (also called hypertension), smoking, and obesity all increase the risk of developing damage to the heart and blood vessels when undergoing certain types of cancer therapy.2, 3, 7, 8
Take-Home Points
Further Reading:
American Cancer Society: https://www.cancer.org/
American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/
Join other members talking about Cancer Treatment Induced Heart Disease
Resources referenced in this article: