Life’s essential 8 and specific cancer risk and mortality in men and women - a population-based cohort analysis of 332,417 United Kingdom participants

Q: What is the study’s main purpose regarding Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) and cancer?

To examine the association between LE8 and the risk of cancer occurrence and cancer-associated mortality across 24 cancer types, using an overall cardiovascular health score derived from LE8.

Q: How was cardiovascular health (CVH) assessed in this cohort study?

CVH scores were assessed using LE8 metrics, and outcomes were analyzed per 10-point increment in the CVH score.

Q: What do the results show about higher CVH scores and cancer outcomes?

A 10-point rise in CVH score was negatively associated with overall cancer occurrence in both men and women and was also linked to reduced cancer mortality risk; sex differences were observed for several cancer sites.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by River Wang

Study evaluates how Life’s Essential 8 (LE8), a cardiovascular health metric, relates to cancer occurrence and cancer-associated mortality across 24 cancer types. The cardiovascular health score is derived from overall LE8 and used to quantify health status more directly than single factors. A UK Biobank cohort of 332,417 cancer-free adults aged 37–73 is followed for cancer events and cancer death. Competitive models assess risk per 10-point CVH increase, with sex-stratified analyses.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryHealthcare

FormatPDF

Pages13

Reading Time33 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Introduction

Yang et al. BMC Cancer (2025) 25:632 BMC Cancer [https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-14048-5](https://doi.org/10.1186/s12885-025-14048-5) RESEARCH Open Access Life’s essential 8 and specific cancer risk and mortality in men and women: a population-based cohort analysis of 332,417 United Kingdom participants Chuang Yang 1, Wenke Cheng2, Patrick S. Plum 1, Florian Lordick3, Jeanette Köppe4, Ines Gockel 1 and René Thieme 1* Abstract Background This study aimed to explore the association between Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) and the risk of cancer occurrence and cancer-associated mortality across 24 cancer types. The cardiovascular health (CVH) score is constructed based on the overall LE8 score, providing a more direct measure of CVH and its potential relationship with cancer risk. Methods This cohort enrolled participants from a prospective cohort of the United Kingdom Biobank, including individuals aged 37–73 years, with 332,417 cancer-free participants. CVH scores were assessed using the LE8 metrics. The primary outcome of this study was the risk of cancer events, and the secondary outcome was cancer mortality. Competitive models were used to examine the associations between each 10-point increment in the CVH score and the outcomes, with stratified analyses conducted for both men and women to assess sex differences. Results The mean CVH score was 64 .4(55 . 6,72 . 5) in men and 70.0 (61 . 2,78 . 1) in women (P < 0. 001) . During a mean follow-up time of 12.0 years, 12. 32%(95% confidence interval [CI]: 12.21–12.43%) of participants developed cancer, and 2 . 13%(95% CI: 2 .08–2. 18%) died from cancer. A 10-point rise in CVH score was negatively associated with overall cancer occurrence in men (hazard ratio [HR]: 0 . 97, 95% CI: 0 .96–0. 98) and women (HR: 0 . 96, 95% CI: 0 .95–0. 97), along with reduced cancer mortality risk in both sexes. Moreover, sex differences were observed in the impact of a 10-point CVH increase on esophageal, gastric, colorectal, and liver cancers. Conclusions Lower CVH scores were associated with an increased overall cancer risk and higher cancer-related mortality, highlighting the need for cancer screening in patients with low CVH scores. Keywords Life’s essential 8, Cardiovascular health (CVH), Cancer occurrence, Mortality, UK biobank *Correspondence: René Thieme [rene.thieme@medizin.uni-leipzig.de](rene.thieme@medizin.uni-leipzig.de) 1Department of Visceral, Transplant, Thoracic and Vascular Surgery, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany 2Medical Faculty, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany 3Department of Oncology, Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Pulmonology, University Hospital Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany 4Institute of Biostatistics and Clinical Research, University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany © The Author(s) 2025. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit [http://creativecommons.org/l](http://creativecommons.org/l)icenses/by/4.0/. Yang et al. BMC Cancer (2025) 25:632 Introduction As the global population ages, the burdens of cancer incidence and mortality increase rapidly [1]. Cancer ranks asthe primary or secondary cause of death in over a hundred countries, posing a significant threat to human life

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose regarding Life’s Essential 8 (LE8) and cancer?

To examine the association between LE8 and the risk of cancer occurrence and cancer-associated mortality across 24 cancer types, using an overall cardiovascular health score derived from LE8.

How was cardiovascular health (CVH) assessed in this cohort study?

CVH scores were assessed using LE8 metrics, and outcomes were analyzed per 10-point increment in the CVH score.

What do the results show about higher CVH scores and cancer outcomes?

A 10-point rise in CVH score was negatively associated with overall cancer occurrence in both men and women and was also linked to reduced cancer mortality risk; sex differences were observed for several cancer sites.

Sep 23, 2026

Uploaded by River Wang