Cardiovascular disease (CVD) and cancer are leading causes of morbidity 
and mortality worldwide. Although conventionally managed as separate 
disease processes, recent research has lent insight into compelling 
commonalities between CVD and cancer, including shared mechanisms for 
disease development and progression. In this review, the authors discuss
 several pathophysiological processes common to both CVD and cancer, 
such as inflammation, resistance to cell death, cellular proliferation, 
neurohormonal stress, angiogenesis, and genomic instability, in an 
effort to understand common mechanisms of both disease states. In 
particular, the authors highlight key circulating and genomic biomarkers
 associated with each of these processes, as well as their associations 
with risk and prognosis in both cancer and CVD. The purpose of this 
state-of-the-art review is to further our understanding of the potential
 mechanisms underlying cancer and CVD by contextualizing pathways and 
biomarkers common to both diseases.