Medical expert of the article
New publications
Cardiovascular disease has overtaken cancer in mortality rates
Last reviewed: 30.06.2025
All iLive content is medically reviewed or fact checked to ensure as much factual accuracy as possible.
We have strict sourcing guidelines and only link to reputable media sites, academic research institutions and, whenever possible, medically peer reviewed studies. Note that the numbers in parentheses ([1], [2], etc.) are clickable links to these studies.
If you feel that any of our content is inaccurate, out-of-date, or otherwise questionable, please select it and press Ctrl + Enter.
Modern methods of treating breast cancer are so effective that many patients continue to live despite their diagnosis. A study of more than 60,000 women aged 66 and older showed that cardiovascular diseases are the most serious competitor to cancer in terms of mortality. They kill more than a third of patients.
Scientists from the University of Colorado took up the study of this topic. Over nine years, they analyzed the causes of death of more than 60,000 US women diagnosed with breast cancer.
In total, half of the patients died during this time. However, it turned out that cancer was the cause of death for only one third of them - 15.1%. The rest - more than two thirds - died from other causes (emphysema, chronic bronchitis or diabetes). The first place in the compiled list was taken by heart disease. It accounted for 15.9% of deaths.
It turns out that cardiovascular diseases have displaced cancer, which was previously considered the main killer, responsible for almost a quarter of all deaths. According to scientists, there is a positive lesson to be learned from this discovery.
"Breast cancer is not necessarily a death sentence, and patients should take care of their health to reduce their risk of dying from heart disease and other age-related diseases," said researcher Jennifer Patnaik.
[