The risk of ischemic stroke increases significantly after a diagnosis of invasive cancer, with the first three months appearing to be the most dangerous period. This was the conclusion reached by researchers who analyzed data from more than 182,000 patients in Israel. The findings were published in the journal Cancer.
Among patients with cancer, strokes occurred 80% more often during the first year after diagnosis than would have been expected based on rates in the general population. On average, 62 strokes occurred per 10,000 patients.
During the first three months after a cancer diagnosis, however, the incidence of stroke was 2.5 times higher than expected. The researchers noted that the risk increased particularly sharply among younger patients and those with advanced forms of cancer.
The strongest associations were observed for pancreatic and lung cancer. Among patients with pancreatic cancer, the incidence of stroke was 5.9 times higher than expected, with 162 strokes occurring per 10,000 patients. For lung cancer, the rate was 3.9 times higher than expected.
Breast and prostate cancer, by contrast, were not associated with an increased risk of stroke compared with the general population.
The researchers noted that the first few months after a cancer diagnosis may represent a critical period for assessing stroke risk. In their view, differences between cancer types suggest that some patients may require particularly close monitoring of risk factors for vascular complications.
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