1. Clinical and Demographic Characteristics, Mechanisms, and Outcomes in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke and Newly Diagnosed or Known Active Cancer
- Author
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Gianluca Costamagna, Andreas Hottinger, Haralampos Milionis, Dimitris Lambrou, Alexander Salerno, Davide Strambo, Françoise Livio, Babak Benjamin Navi, and Patrik Michel
- Subjects
Neurology (clinical) - Abstract
Background and ObjectivesPatients with a new diagnosis of cancer carry an increased risk of acute ischemic stroke (AIS) and this risk varies depending on age, cancer type, stage, and time from diagnosis. Whether AIS patients with a new diagnosis of neoplasm represent a distinct subset from those with a previously known active malignancy remains unclear. We aimed to estimate the rate of stroke in patients with newly diagnosed cancer and previously known active cancer and to compare the demographic and clinical features, stroke mechanisms, and long-term outcomes between groups.MethodsUsing 2003-2021 data from the ASTRAL registry, we compared patients with known active cancer to patients with newly diagnosed cancer (cancer identified during AIS hospitalization or within the following 12 months). Patients with inactive and no history of cancer were excluded. Outcomes were the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) score at 3 months and mortality and recurrent stroke at 12 months. We used multivariable regression analyses to compare outcomes between groups while adjusting for important prognostic variables.ResultsAmong 6686 patients with AIS, 362 (5.4%) had active cancer, including 102 (1.5%) with newly diagnosed cancer. Gastrointestinal and genitourinary cancers were the most frequent cancer types. Among all patients with active cancer, 152 (42.5%) AISs were classified as cancer-related, with nearly half of these cases attributed to hypercoagulability. In multivariable analysis, patients with newly diagnosed cancer had less pre-stroke disability (aOR 0.62, 95%CI 0.44-0.86) and fewer prior stroke/TIA events (aOR 0.43, 95%CI 0.21-0.88) than patients with known active cancer. 3-month mRS scores were similar between cancer groups (aOR 1.27, 95%CI 0.65-2.49), and were predominantly driven by the presence of newly diagnosed brain metastases (aOR 7.22, 95%CI 1.49-43.17) and metastatic cancer (aOR 2.19, 95%CI 1.22-3.97). At 12 months, mortality risk was higher in patients with newly diagnosed cancer versus patients with known active cancer (HR 2.11, 95%CI 1.38-3.21) while recurrent stroke risk was similar between groups (aHR 1.27, 95%CI 0.67-2.43).DiscussionIn a comprehensive institutional registry spanning nearly two decades, 5.4% of patients with AIS had active cancer, a quarter of which were diagnosed during or within 12 months after the index stroke hospitalization. Patients with newly diagnosed cancer had less disability and prior cerebrovascular disease, but a higher 1-year risk of subsequent death than patients with known active cancer.
- Published
- 2023
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