In 2017 161,000 new cases of prostate cancer diagnosed in the U.S. With improved survival from prostate cancer, cardiovascular disease has emerged as competing cause of morbidity and mortality. However, few studies have assessed CVD risk factors among prostate cancer survivors. We analyzed National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999-2014 to assess CVD risk factors, as defined by AHA/ACC, in adult men with and without a history of prostate cancer. A total of 602 men, age 50 years and older, with prostate cancer history and 8,226 men without cancer history were included in the analysis. Among men with prostate cancer history, the mean (SE) age at survey was 72.3(0.4); 41% of the survivors had their diagnoses less than 5 years ago, while 31% survived more than 10 years after diagnosis. Compared to men without cancer, prostate cancer survivors were older (mean age 72 (0.4) vs 62y (0.1)), but with similar education level (
p
=0.41). For CVD risk factors, prostate cancer survivors were less likely to be current smokers (6.5% vs 20.3%), but more likely to have hypertension and on anti-hypertensive medication (95.6% vs 88.9%) with age-adjusted prevalence odds ratio of
1.53
([95% CI, 1.2 - 1.9];
p
=0.001) and
1.78
([95% CI, 1.1 - 2.9];
p
=0.024), respectively. There were no differences in lipids profiles between men with and without prostate cancer. In stratified analysis, non-Hispanic blacks’ survivors have almost two times the prevalence of hypertension compared to non-Hispanic blacks free of cancer, with age-adjusted prevalence odds ratio of
1.9
([95% CI, 1.2 - 2.96]; p=0.005). In conclusion, CVD risk factors were prevalent in prostate cancer survivors. Improving cardiovascular health through lifestyle change and preventive strategies is a public health priority, particularly among non-Hispanic Blacks.
Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Status, Chronic Conditions, and Behavioral Risk Factors Among Prostate Cancer Survivors, United States, 2015