- Researchers say people with cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) syndrome have a higher risk of developing cancer.
- They note that the cancer risk rises as the severity of CKM syndrome increases, ranging from a 3% higher risk at stage 1 to a 30% higher risk at stage 4.
- Experts say people can lower their cancer risk by maintaining a healthy diet, getting regular exercise, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco.
People with a common metabolic health condition have as much as a 30% higher risk of cancer, a new study reports.
In particular, the researchers noted that cancer risks rise along with the stages and severity of CKM syndrome.
“These findings suggest that CKM staging may help identify individuals at increased cancer risk, supporting a more holistic approach to risk stratification beyond cardiovascular outcomes,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers acknowledged that their research was an observational study, so they weren’t able to establish causality between CKM syndrome and cancer risk.
Nonetheless, they said their findings are significant since it’s estimated that 90% of adults in the United States have at least some components of CKM syndrome.
The researchers stated that cancer prevention should be part of the treatment protocol for people with CKM syndrome.
“These findings extend the clinical relevance of the CKM framework beyond cardiovascular and kidney outcomes, underscoring the need for integrated risk assessment and prevention in multimorbid individuals,” the researchers wrote.
Experts not involved in the study said the medical community should take note of this latest research.
“The study does not provide a mechanism, but the existing science has shown that there is a large overlap in risk factors for [cardiovascular disease] and cancer,” said Michael McConnell, MD, a clinical professor of cardiovascular medicine at Stanford Medicine.
“This study adds to the growing body of literature linking cardiovascular disease, metabolic dysfunction, and chronic kidney disease with cancer risk,” added Christopher Berg, MD, a non-interventional cardiologist specializing in cardio-oncology at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, CA.
Berg, however, noted that the findings don’t offer significant treatment and prevention strategies.
“This study may help identify at-risk patients but is less helpful in pointing toward a solution beyond a general recommendation to work toward better health to reduce the risk of future illness,” Berg told Healthline.
“The chief health concerns of people with CKM should be to work to reduce their risk of cardiovascular disease, which will in turn reduce their risk of cancer. Broadly, if it is good for the heart, it will help reduce your risk of cancer as well,” he added.
In their study, researchers analyzed insurance claims and health checkup data collected between April 2014 and August 2023 from nearly 1.4 million people in Japan.
They tracked the rate of cancer cases based on whether a study participant had CKM syndrome.
The researchers reported that during a median follow-up of more than 3 years, they were able to establish cancer risk for different stages of CKM syndrome:
- Stage 1: 3% increased risk
- Stage 2: 2% increased risk
- Stage 3: 25% increased risk
- Stage 4: 30% increased risk
The stages were based on how many CKM syndrome components a person had.
“These results suggest that, in the context of CKM syndrome, it is important to consider not only [cardiovascular disease] risk but also the elevated risk of cancer,” the researchers wrote.
The researchers explained that the “interconnected nature of cardiovascular, kidney, and metabolic diseases” can involve “shared pathophysiological mechanisms” that include “systemic inflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, and dysfunctional or excess adiposity (the accumulation of fatty tissue in the body).”
They said these mechanisms can “contribute to disease progression across organ systems.” They noted that cancer and CKM syndrome share certain risk factors.
“For example, aging, smoking, alcohol consumption, and poor dietary habits contribute to both CKM progression and cancer risk, highlighting the presence of overlapping risk profiles,” the researchers wrote.
Tochi Okwuosa, DO, the director of cardio-oncology services at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and an American Heart Association (AHA) volunteer, said the study accurately portrays how medical conditions can cascade on top of one another. Okwuosa wasn’t involved in the study.
“A common factor between the CKM syndrome and cancer is inflammation, which is likely a link between both disease processes,” she told Healthline.
“We know that obesity increases insulin resistance and diabetes, and both processes increase inflammation, which in turn increases cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, which then increases kidney disease. All of these factors eventually lead to heart disease and stroke.”
McConnell said it’s “important to note that the only significant association was for CKM stages 3 and 4.” He also said the follow-up period of 3 years is “relatively short.”
“I think the stronger argument is the shared risk factors not that poor CKM health ‘causes’ cancer,” he told Healthline. “This emphasizes prevention is key to both, particularly as the cancer risk mostly associated with CKM stage 3 and 4, not earlier stages 1 and 2.”
Nonetheless, he said the study’s overall message is important.
“CKM is a more holistic approach to cardiometabolic and kidney health, so it’s helpful to know earlier that these contribute to risk of both [cardiovascular disease] and cancer,” McConnell said.
“For those with more advanced CKM stages, it’s important to manage cardio, metabolic, and kidney issues as we now have very effective therapies, and to be aware of the association with cancer risk, so appropriate cancer screenings [are done].”
The American Heart Association (AHA) first
AHA officials issued recommendations for prevention, screening, and treatment in their advisory.
They suggested that a multidisciplinary approach to the syndrome be utilized.
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They found that, between 2011 and 2020:
- 10% met criteria for stage 0
- 26% met criteria for stage 1
- 49% met criteria for stage 2
- 5% met criteria for stage 3
- 9% met criteria for stage 4
Stage 1 was characterized by excess body fat and higher-than-normal blood sugar.
Stage 3 was characterized as a person having issues with heart and blood vessels but without noticeable symptoms, as well as the presence of very-high-risk CKD and a high-predicted 10-year cardiovascular disease risk.
Stage 4 was characterized as a person having CKM risk factors and signs of cardiovascular disease (i.e., coronary heart disease, angina, heart attack, heart failure, and stroke). Stage 4a includes people without kidney failure. Stage 4b includes people with kidney failure.
The vast majority of the U.S. adult population has risk factors that put them at risk for CKM syndrome.
They said the most common risk factors for CKM syndrome include unhealthy lifestyle behaviors, such as inadequate nutrition, lack of exercise, and insufficient sleep.
A 2026 survey concluded that millions of adults in the United States are unaware they have undiagnosed cardiovascular risk factors that begin outside the heart.
Early detection is a key to effectively treating cancer, so regular cancer screenings are recommended.
Additionally, lifestyle habits can be adopted to lower the risk of cancer. These include:
Okwuosa recommended that people adopt the lifestyle habits detailed in the AHA’s
“The most important habits are those that reduce inflammation, which appears to be the primary source of the CKM syndrome,” she said.
Berg said a person doesn’t need to adopt all these lifestyle habits at once. He said selecting one or two changes is a good way to start.
“While this laundry list of goals may seem unwieldy and overwhelming, actionable steps anyone can take immediately would be to focus on increasing physical activity and reducing the amount of ultra-processed food they eat,” said Berg.
“These steps in turn can help address multiple domains associated with CKM syndrome, promote overall health, and decrease the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer.”
