Cardio-oncology & otherCohort study
Association Between Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer Development: Insights From a Nationwide Database Study in Japan
- retrospective cohort study
- nationwide
- DeSC administrative claims database in Japan
Authors' conclusion
Advancing baseline CKM stage, particularly Stages 3 and 4, was associated with increased cancer risk. 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.
Study context
- Population
- Individuals in Japan with available health checkup data and insurance claims between April 2014 and August 2023, excluding those with prior cancer or missing covariatesparticipants analyzed
- Participants
- 1,390,901 individuals
- Exposure
- Higher baseline cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic (CKM) stages compared with Stage 0
- Outcome
- Incident cancer (International Classification of Diseases, Tenth Revision codes C00-C97)
- Follow-up
- Median 3.4 years
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
CKM Stages 1-4 vs Stage 0Adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI)
first stage of CKM Stages 1-4 (Stage 1)
1.03(0.99–1.08)
second stage of CKM Stages 1-4, respectively
1.02(0.99–1.05)
third stage of CKM Stages 1-4 (Stage 3)
1.25(1.21–1.29)
fourth stage of CKM Stages 1-4 (Stage 4)
1.30(1.25–1.35)
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Cancer types and subgroups (age, sex)
- The stage-specific association was consistent across cancer types and in analyses stratified by age and sex, with similar patterns observed across subgroups
Sensitivity analyses using alternative CKM definitions
- Supported the robustness of the findings
Original publication
Association Between Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic Syndrome and Cancer Development: Insights From a Nationwide Database Study in Japan. Circ Popul Health Outcomes. Published 27 April 2026. doi:10.1161/circoutcomes.125.012921
Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it