This study looked at whether certain biomarkers in the blood, usually used to check heart health, could also be linked to cancer risk. Researchers measured two biomarkers (hs-cTnT and NT-proBNP) in over 6,000 MESA participants who did not have cancer or heart disease at the start, and then followed them for nearly 18 years. They found that people with higher levels of these biomarkers were more likely to develop cancer later on, no matter their age, sex, or race/ethnicity.
These results suggest that heart-related blood tests may provide more information than just heart health. They could also help signal a higher risk of cancer. While other well-known risk factors like smoking, age, sex, and race/ethnicity also played a role in cancer risk, the levels of these two blood markers stood out as strong, independent predictors. This means they may be useful in understanding overall health and identifying risks earlier in life.
Source: Cai X, White Q, Johnson WC, Hansen SL, Dardari ZA, Blaha M, Michos ED, Lima JA, deFilippi CR, Budoff MJ, Watson KE, McClelland RL, Yang EH. Baseline Cardiac Biomarker Levels as Predictors of Cancer Risk in the MESA Cohort. JACC Adv. 2025 Jul;4(7):101884. doi: 10.1016/j.jacadv.2025.101884. Epub 2025 Jun 16. PMID: 40527284; PMCID: PMC12213292. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12213292/