Stroke Survivors May be at Higher Risk of Developing Cancer

According to research presented at the American Stroke Association’s 2015 International Stroke Conference, people who have had a stroke in the past develop cancer at a higher rate compared to those who have not. The research team analyzed data from 1997-2011, consisting of 3,247 cancer-free participants over the age of 35 who had a mild ischemic stroke. The results of the study showed that the annual rate of age-adjusted cancer incidence was higher among ischemic stroke patients compared with the general population. The results also showed that the rate of cancer occurring among stroke survivors was 1.2-times higher at one year, and 1.4-times higher at two years. Additionally, stroke survivors who developed cancer had up to three-times higher of a chance of dying compared to those who didn’t get cancer. The reason why cancer is often linked to a higher ischemic stroke risk is mainly because cancer patients’ blood tends to clot more often.  However, during this study, researchers sought to find out why ischemic stroke increases the risk for developing cancer. “When tissues get less oxygen due to blocked blood vessels, it destroys tissue cells and sets off a series of events to alter the normal physiology and may lead to cancer,” said one of the study’s researchers. Another risk factor for developing cancer was age. The study showed that stroke survivors over the age of 50 were 1.4-times more likely to develop cancer within two years, compared to their counterparts who were age 50 and under. To read more about this study, click here.