Effects of cancer on stroke recurrence and mortality: A single-center retrospective cohort study

Whether patients with stroke and cancer have specific characteristics remains controversial. In addition, research regarding the effects of individual cancer types on stroke outcomes remains scarce. This study investigated the mortality and stroke recurrence rates in patients with stroke and concomitant cancer and evaluated outcome predictors.

This study retrospectively enrolled 2610 patients in the Taipei Veterans General Hospital Stroke Registry registered from January 2019 to December 2020. A total of 1868 patients were included after excluding those without acute ischemic stroke or hospitalization. The patients were then categorized into the following diagnostic groups: cancer-associated stroke (CAS), stroke and inactive cancer, and stroke without cancer. The discharge mortality rate, 1-year mortality rate, and 1-year stroke recurrence rate were compared. Multiple clinical characteristics and comorbidities-age, sex, stroke severity, coagulopathy, common vascular risk factors, and acute stroke treatment-were also assessed.

A total of 302 (16.2%) patients had concomitant cancer; 39 (2.1%) patients were classified as having CAS and 263 (14.1%) as having stroke with inactive cancer. The baseline characteristics, stroke severity, and type of acute reperfusion therapy were similar among the three groups. However, the stroke recurrence and mortality rates were much higher in the patients with CAS in both short-term and long-term follow-up. The 30-day and 1-year mortality rates for the CAS, inactive cancer, and no cancer groups were 17.9%, 12.5%, and 4.7%, (p < 0.001) and 51.3%, 33.8%, and 12.4%, (p < 0.001) respectively.

Patients with stroke and active cancer had similar stroke severity. However, the 1-year mortality and stroke recurrence rates were higher in these patients than in patients with inactive cancer or the control group.