Title of project

Cardiometabolic Disease in Patients with Lymphoid Cancer – Causes and Consequences

Abstract

The dual burden of cardiometabolic diseases (CMDs) and lymphoid cancers (LCs) presents a growing healthcare challenge, driven by aging populations, changing lifestyles, and environmental exposures. As treatment options for both CMDs and LC improves, comorbidity becomes a major challenge for optimized individualized care. This is emphasized by cancer – rather than CMDs – now being the major cause of death for patients with type 2 diabetes.

For patients with LC, CMDs such as type 2 diabetes, obesity, and heart diseases can complicate treatment, increase the risk of infection, limit treatment options and lead to higher mortality rates. Yet, many CMDs are preventable through targeted interventions that address modifiable risk factors like elevated BMI and physical inactivity. On the other hand, LCs and their treatments may trigger or increase the rate of development of CMDs. Despite this bidirectional relationship, the underlying mechanisms linking CMDs and LCs remain poorly understood, as do the factors that could be targets for interventions to improve outcome for patients with CMDs and cancer.

This project uses the Danish Lymphoid Cancer Data Resource, a nationwide platform combining clinical, laboratory, prescription medicine, and genomic data for over 73,000 LC patients.

Through three complementary studies, we will:
1) Investigate how elevated BMI, prevalent CMD, and their respective genetic risk background affect survival, treatment responses, and complications in LC
2) Identify genetic variants that confer cardiovascular risk specifically in the context of LC therapy
3) Examine how germline genetics, treatment modalities, and lifestyle factors contribute to CMD after LC treatment

Key outcomes include cardiometabolic events, overall survival, and treatment-free survival. Analytical methods will range from classical epidemiological models to genome wide association studies and polygenic risk scores. Ultimately, our findings will inform precision medicine approaches, enabling clinicians to identify high-risk patient groups, allocate different treatment options, optimize cardiometabolic management, reduce CMD burden in LC patients, and thus improve both short-term and long-term outcomes for patients.