Cardiovascular disease and cancer: Evidence for shared disease pathways and pharmacologic prevention

Abstract

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Strategies to improve their treatment and prevention are global priorities and major focus of World Health Organization's joint prevention programs. Emerging evidence suggests that modifiable risk factors including diet, sedentary lifestyle, obesity and tobacco use are central to the pathogenesis of both diseases and are reflected in common genetic, cellular, and signaling mechanisms. Understanding this important biological overlap is critical and may help identify novel therapeutic and preventative strategies for both disorders. In this review, we will discuss the shared genetic and molecular factors central to CVD and cancer and how the strategies commonly used for the prevention of atherosclerotic vascular disease can be applied to cancer prevention.

Fig. 1.

Interplay of shared molecular pathways, genetic alterations, metabolic disorders, and environmental life-style related factors in the dynamic process of developing cardiovascular disease and cancer. AMPK, adenosine 5ʹ monophosphate-activated protein kinase; PPAR-γ, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ; PAI-1, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1; FAS, fatty acid synthase.