Prostate cancer diagnosis may lead to heart attack

Researchers found being diagnosed with prostate cancer may raise men’s risk of having a heart attack or stroke, especially in the first week after diagnosis.

Men had an increased risk of having a heart attack or other cardiovascular problem such as a stroke during the year after their prostate cancer diagnosis. The risk was especially raised in the first week after their diagnosis.

Men were also more likely to die by suicide during the first year after prostate cancer diagnosis, compared with men who weren’t diagnosed with cancer. But the overall risk of this was very low (less than one man in every 1000). Again, the risk was highest in the first week after diagnosis.