Case-control study of association of cardiovascular disease and breast cancer stage at diagnosis

Large-scale population-based and mechanistic studies support a direct effect of cardiovascular disease (CVD) on accelerated tumor growth and spread, specifically in breast cancer. A case-control study using data from the SEER-Medicare databases 2009 to 2020 investigated whether female patients presenting with advanced breast cancer were more likely to have prevalent CVD compared with those with early-stage breast cancer at the time of diagnosis. This study of 19,292 breast cancer patients found that patients with more advanced breast cancer at diagnosis had a statistically significant 10% increased odds of prevalent CVD, even when accounting for factors associated with delayed cancer diagnosis. The authors conclude that these findings suggest that individuals with CVD may be at an increased risk of advanced breast cancer at diagnosis, which could inform personalized screening recommendations.