Approved research

Exploring the causal intersection of cancer and cardiovascular disease

Lay summary

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are the top causes of death in Western countries. Cancer and CVD patients share risk factors and have high rates of similar secondary conditions. However, the influence of shared genetics and biology in both types of disease remains incompletely understood. This project aims to investigate the causal relationship between cancer and cardiovascular disease. We propose to combine multiple approaches including evaluation of clinical characteristics of patients and statistical genetics methods to test for causal associations between cancer and CVD. We also plan to use computational tools to define subgroups of CVD patients where disease is linked to cancer. We expect this project to take 24 months. The first 6 months will be used for data acclimation, selection of phenotypes, and quality control of genetic data. The following year will be used for conducting the remainder of the study, and the last 6 months for preparing results for publication. This project is consistent with the UK Biobanks's purpose, as understanding the shared biology between cancer and cardiovascular disease has the potential to provide new avenues for prevention and treatment for both.

Scope extension:

Current scope:

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are the top causes of death in Western countries. Many risk factors are shared between cancer and CVD, and many common diseases are at increased prevalence in populations with both diseases. However, the degree to which the same underlying biology influences both categories of disease remains poorly understood. This project aims to investigate the causal relationship between cancer and cardiovascular disease. We propose to combine multiple approaches including phenome-wide evaluation of patients with cancer and CVD, Mendelian randomization to test for causal associations between cancer and CVD, and bioinformatics tools to define subgroups of CVD patients where disease is linked to cancer.

New Scope:

Our main objective remains unchanged: We aim to investigate the causal relationship between cancer and cardiovascular disease (CVD) using and combining multiple approaches (e.g. phenome-wide evaluation of patients with cancer and CVD, Mendelian randomization, bioinformatics tools to define subgroups of CVD patients where disease is linked to cancer). To further deepen our understanding of the link between cancer and CVD, we propose to include two additional conditions in our analyses: (1) Autoimmunity and (2) iron homeostasis. Both conditions have been discussed to modify the risk of cancer and CVD. The investigation of genetic factors involved in autoimmunity and iron homeostasis might help to shed light on the linkage between cancer and CVD.