The three ‘primary drivers’ behind cancer cases in men, according to scientists

Men with heart disease are at a higher risk of developing and dying from cancer , new research suggests.

Researchers identified smoking , obesity and drinking too much alcohol as “primary drivers” behind cases in men, with the link most pronounced in lung and oesophageal cancers.

Experts called for "more to be done" to manage these risks, such as targeted screening interventions.

The study, conducted by researchers at the University of Aberdeen and Keele University, examined how cancer risk and mortality differed between men and women over more than 25 years.

It drew on data from 22,534 people taking part in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer (EPIC)-Norfolk study.

Almost 11,000 either had cardiovascular disease (CVD), an umbrella term for conditions affecting the heart or blood vessels, at the start of the study, or developed it during monitoring.

The study found the lifetime risk of developing cancer among those with CVD was higher in men (17.3 per cent) compared with women (12.8 per cent).

In those without CVD, the risk of cancer was 10.2 per cent for men and 8.2 per cent for women.

Dr Tiberiu Pana, specialty registrar in cardiology at NHS Grampian, and honorary early career clinical research fellow at the University of Aberdeen, said: “We found that cancer incidence and death were higher in people with cardiovascular disease than in those without – a relationship we already knew a bit about.

“However, through looking at this large patient group over a very long period of time, we were able to examine it more thoroughly.

“We have identified clear differences between men and women across a range of factors in those with cardiovascular disease and all types of cancer.”

Further analysis of cancers found outside of the reproductive system found that people with heart disease faced higher rates of gastric, oesophageal, lung, bowel and non-melanoma skin cancers. These were also more prominent among men, according to the study.

Men with CVD also had an increased risk of dying from gastric, oesophageal, and lung cancers compared with those without heart disease.

Researchers said this “may be partly driven by common risk factors” between CVD and cancer.