Cancer Patients Have Higher Risk of Arterial Thromboembolism

A recent study showed that short-term risk of arterial thromboembolism is significantly higher in patients with cancer, with the highest risk in patients with lung cancer.

The risk of arterial thromboembolism in patients with cancer is not completely understood. Therefore, the researchers sought to evaluate this relationship further.
___________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Initial Response to Cancer Treatment Could Predict Survival Outcomes
Could Vitamin D Help Reduce Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Women With Breast Cancer?
___________________________________________________________________________________________

Between 2002 and 2011, the researchers assessed 279,719 pairs of patients with breast, lung, prostate, colorectal, bladder, pancreatic, or gastric cancer or non-Hodgkin lymphoma, and their matched controls. Pairs were individually matched in accordance with demographics and comorbidities and were followed through 2012.

Arterial thromboembolism, defined as myocardial infarction (MI) or ischemic stroke, was identified using validated diagnosis codes. Cumulative incidence rates were determined using competing risk survival statistics. Additionally, Cox hazards analysis was conducted to compare rates between groups at discrete time points.

Results indicated that the 6-month cumulative incidence of arterial thromboembolism was 4.7% in patients with cancer vs 2.2% in controls. The 6-month cumulative incidence of MI was 2.0% in patients with cancer vs 0.7% in controls. The 6-month cumulative incidence of ischemic stroke was 3.0% in patients with cancer compared with 1.6% in controls.

Ultimately, the researchers found that patients with lung cancer had the greatest risk of arterial thromboembolism. Excess risk varied by cancer type, correlated with cancer stage, and typically resolved by 1 year.

“Patients with incident cancer face a substantially increased short-term risk of arterial thromboembolism,” the researchers concluded.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Navi BB, Reiner AS, Kamel H, et al. Risk of arterial thromboembolism in patients with cancer. J Am Col Cardiol. 2017;70(8). doi:10.1016/j.jacc.2017.06.047.