Relation of Venous Thromboembolism Risk to Ischemic Stroke Risk in Hospitalized Patients with Cancer

Patients with cancer are at increased risk for venous thromboembolism (VTE). However, the relationship of cancer type to the risk of arterial thrombosis in patients with high VTE risk has not been described. The goal of this study is to determine the rate of arterial thrombosis in patients with different types of solid tumors stratified by VTE risk. Using the 2012 National Inpatient Sample, we identified 373,789 hospitalizations involving patients ≥18 years associated with solid tumors, stratified by type. Data were collected on clinical characteristics, VTE (deep vein thrombosis [DVT] and pulmonary embolism [PE]), and arterial thrombosis (primary diagnosis of myocardial infarction [MI] and ischemic stroke). Subjects with solid tumors (stages I to IV) were stratified by VTE risk - high versus low. Certain solid tumor types (esophageal, lung, melanoma, ovarian, pancreatic, stomach, and uterine) were found to be associated with a higher rate of VTE compared with other cancer types (6.8% vs 3.9%, p < 0.001). Multivariate analysis applied to the high VTE risk group showed no increased risk for MI (odds ratio [OR] 0.93, p = 0.74), however, the rate of ischemic stroke was increased (OR 1.22, p < 0.001). Those in the high VTE risk group who had metastatic disease were at higher risk for arterial thrombosis (MI OR 1.35, p < 0.001, ischemic stroke OR 2.43, p < 0.001). In conclusion, different cancer types are associated with increased risk of both venous and arterial thrombosis and the risk is further increased by the presence of metastatic disease.