BE WELL
FIGHTING A MEDICAL DOUBLE WHAMMY HEART DISEASE AND COLON CANCER WRITTEN BY DAVID MARKS
Heart disease and cancer have had something in common that is troubling. They continue to be the two leading causes of death in the U.S., by a lot. In fact, each of them is greater than the next three leading causes combined. But now there’s an added concern. Heart attack survivors may have an increased risk of developing cancer compared to people without cardiovascular disease. And that’s not all. “There is significant data that indicates that a diagnosis of colorectal cancer leads to an increase in the risk of developing both coronary atherosclerosis and congestive heart failure,” says Andrew Waters, MD, FACC, RPVI, cardiologist, AdventHealth Medical Group Cardiology & Cardiovascular Surgery at Shawnee Mission Health. At the heart of it all—no pun intended—is a group of risk factors that increases the risk of heart disease and diabetes. This group is known as metabolic syndrome, and it includes high
blood pressure, high blood sugar, high triglycerides, low HDL cholesterol, and belly fat. When you have at least three of these risk factors, your chances for heart disease, diabetes, and stroke are higher than they’d be with any of those health problems on their own. “Metabolic syndrome is associated with several adverse health outcomes, and this includes cardiovascular disease as well as a number of different types of cancer,” says Dr. Waters.
How does colon cancer affect the heart? Patients with colorectal cancer have a significantly greater risk than the
general population for developing cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure. And in some cases, one of the medications used to treat many colorectal patients can promote the buildup of coronary atherosclerosis, better known as hardening of the arteries. “Although studies have demonstrated that the greatest increase in cardiovascular mortality occurs in the first two years after diagnosis of colorectal cancer, there is a prolonged increase in risk that persists for up to a decade afterwards,” says Dr. Waters. Fortunately, there’s a way to fight back. By reducing the risk factors of metabolic syndrome, both heart disease and colon cancer can continued on page 18
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SIMPLYkc MAGAZINE
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MAY 2022
