A surprising new study has found that patients who have prostate cancer tend to die from something other than prostate cancer.

Cardiovascular disease is actually a bigger killer than the cancer, researchers at Vanderbilt University have found, according to a UPI report.

The use of androgen deprivation therapy (ADT) may be increasing cardiovascular risk in prostate cancer patients, resulting in heart disease and other cardiovascular problems.

Cardiovascular disease is the No. 1 risk for men in the United States, and ADT may increase the risk byr educing serum testerosterone levels. ADT slows tumor growth and may also cause the tumors to shrink, but it may come at a big cost for prostate cancer patients.

“While ADT therapy is of great benefit to many patients with prostate cancer, it may also increase the risk of developing diabetes or having a heart attack or stroke,” Eric Shinohara, M.D., MSCI, associate professor of Medicine and medical director of the Vanderbilt Radiation Oncology Clinic, said in a statement. “By collaborating with urology, medical oncology and the cardio-oncology program, we are better able to determine which patients are most likely to benefit from hormones, and in those who do get hormones, how to better protect their cardiovascular system.”