According to a study published online in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, all-cause mortality risk was significantly increased in patients with breast cancer and coronary artery disease (CAD), and each additional cardiovascular disease risk factor (CVD-RF) was found to be associated with a reduction in overall and progression-free survival. Data was analyzed from 1999 to 2011 in five SWOG (formerly known as the Southwest Oncology Group) breast cancer trials, including women with baseline diabetes, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and CAD. About 87% women with early-stage and advanced disease had one or more CVD-RFs, 62% had two or more, and one-third had three or more. Even in women with advanced cancer, the number of significant CVD-RFs was shown to be associated with overall survival and risk of a cardiac event. While there was no association between any of the individual CVD-RFs and overall survival, hypercholesterolemia was an exception, which was associated with improved overall survival. Hypercholesterolemia was also associated with improved rates of progression-free survival, and cancer-free survival.