A simple test already used by millions of doctors may soon do more than protect the heart.
According to a new study from University College London, common heart disease risk calculators may also help estimate a person’s likelihood of developing several major cancers years before symptoms appear.
Most adults are familiar with health checks that measure blood pressure, weight, smoking habits, and other health information.
Doctors use these details to estimate the chance of a heart attack or stroke over the next decade and decide whether treatment is needed.
Scientists wondered whether these same health factors could also predict cancer because many cancers share similar causes. Poor lifestyle habits, aging, and smoking increase the risk of both cardiovascular disease and cancer.
The research team analyzed information from more than five million adults aged between 40 and 84. The study used anonymous records from the UK Biobank and primary care databases and was published in the European Journal of Cancer.
Four established cardiovascular risk calculators were evaluated, including QRISK3, the Pooled Cohort Equations, SCORE2, and SCORE2-OP. The researchers compared each calculator’s predictions with the cancers that actually developed during the following 10 years.
They found that the calculators estimated the risk of colorectal, breast, and prostate cancer about as well as a specialist cancer prediction model. They also performed well for kidney, throat, stomach, and esophageal cancers.
The study showed that smoking remained one of the strongest predictors of cancer after age and sex. High blood pressure also appeared to be associated with greater cancer risk, although it is probably acting as a marker for other unhealthy habits rather than directly causing cancer.
Because QRISK3 is already widely used in NHS Health Checks, the researchers believe there may be little extra effort needed to provide people with additional information about cancer risk. This could encourage healthy lifestyle changes at an earlier stage.
Preventing cancer is becoming an increasingly important goal because many cancers may be partly avoidable. Improving diet, staying physically active, avoiding tobacco, limiting alcohol, and maintaining a healthy weight all reduce the risk of many diseases at the same time.
The findings should still be interpreted carefully. The calculators cannot say whether an individual person will definitely develop cancer, and they should not replace cancer screening programs. Instead, they may become another useful tool that helps doctors identify people who could benefit most from prevention advice.
In summary, this large study suggests that existing heart disease risk calculators may have a valuable second purpose. Their greatest strength is that they use information already collected during routine medical visits, making them a practical option if future research confirms their value.
If you care about cancer, please read studies that a low-carb diet could increase overall cancer risk, and vitamin D supplements could strongly reduce cancer death.
For more health information, please see recent studies about how drinking milk affects the risks of heart disease and cancer and results showing higher intake of dairy foods linked to higher prostate cancer risk.
Source: University College London.
