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Increased risk for cancer after stroke at a young age: etiological relevance or incidental finding?

  • Original Article – Clinical Oncology
  • Published:
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Abstract

Background

Etiological factors, such as a malignant disease, in young stroke patients are often neglected. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to investigate the risk of developing cancer in young stroke survivors.

Methods

The current case–control study sample included patients who received an initial ischemic stroke diagnosis documented in the Disease Analyzer database (IQVIA), which compiles data such as risk factors, drug prescriptions, and diagnoses obtained from general practitioners and specialists.

Results

The stroke and non-stroke groups included 18,668 patients each; each group had 2836 (15.3%) participants ≤ 55 years. The cancer incidence in the stroke group over the age of 55 years was higher than in the younger subgroup (29.4% versus 17.3%). The proportions of cancer patients within 10 years of follow-up were higher in the stroke group versus the non-stroke group, as well as in the subgroup of patients aged ≤ 55 versus patients > 55 years (17.3% versus 9.5% and 29.4% versus 24.9%, respectively). The calculated hazard ratio for developing cancer within 10 years of follow-up was higher in the younger stroke population (≤ 55 years) than in the older population (hazard ratio: 1.47 (CI 1.18–1.83) versus 1.17 (CI 1.10–1.25).

Conclusion

In our cohort, young individuals aged ≤ 55 years who suffered a stroke had twice as high risk for developing cancer within 10 years after the index event compared to the control group. Stroke might have implication regarding the subsequent development of cancer and vice versa.

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Funding

No funding was received for this study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Geriatrics, Diakonie Hospital Jung Stilling Siegen, Wichernstrasse 40, 57074, Siegen, Germany

    Christian Tanislav

  2. Department of Health Services Research and General Practice, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Siegen, Siegen, Germany

    Charles Christian Adarkwah

  3. Department of General Practice and Family Medicine, Philipps-University, Marburg, Germany

    Charles Christian Adarkwah

  4. Department of Health Services Research, CAPHRI School for Public Health and Primary Care, Maastricht University, Maastricht, The Netherlands

    Charles Christian Adarkwah

  5. Faculty of Medicine, University of Versailles Saint-Quentinen-Yvelines, Versailles, Montigny-le-Bretonneux, France

    Louis Jakob

  6. Epidemiology, IQVIA, Frankfurt am Main, Germany

    Karel Kostev

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  1. Christian Tanislav
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  2. Charles Christian Adarkwah
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  3. Louis Jakob
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  4. Karel Kostev
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Correspondence to Christian Tanislav.

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Tanislav, C., Adarkwah, C.C., Jakob, L. et al. Increased risk for cancer after stroke at a young age: etiological relevance or incidental finding?. J Cancer Res Clin Oncol 145, 3047–3054 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-019-03022-x

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00432-019-03022-x

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