Cancer Survivors Face Higher Heart Risks Later

If you survive cancer, you’re more apt to have heart trouble later on, a new study shows.

Researchers found that compared to others, cancer survivors had a 42% greater risk of heart disease, most likely due to damage resulting from cancer treatment.

“There are chemotherapies that can damage the heart, and radiation to the chest can also affect the heart,” said lead researcher Dr. Roberta Florido, director of cardio-oncology at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. “So it’s possible that these therapies, in the long run, increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.”

The risk for heart failure after cancer was particularly high: 52%. Stroke risk also rose 22%. There wasn’t, however, a significantly higher risk for heart attack or coronary artery disease.