Approximately 1 in 10 patients with ischemic stroke, in which blood supply to the brain is reduced, also has cancer. Adding to this, cancer is a significant risk factor for thromboembolism, including stroke. Because ischemic stroke is a leading cause of disability and the 2nd leading cause of death worldwide, the ability to identify treatment strategies to prevent its occurrence in cancer patients is critical.
Now, a team led by researchers at The Ottawa Hospital, the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, and the University of Ottawa has used MDClone’s query tool to study risk factors for stroke in cancer patients vs patients without cancer and found that cancer patients who have had an ischemic stroke have a higher prevalence of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), previous ischemic stroke, and venous thromboembolism — additional conditions that can greatly impact quality of life and reduce patient lifespan.
The Study
Using synthetic data based on data populations from The Ottawa Hospital Data Warehouse of 10,875 patients from 2000 to 2019, the team compared two patient groups:
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Group 1: All patients who had both a cancer diagnosis and an ischemic stroke within a 2-year period after their cancer diagnosis
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Group 2: All ischemic stroke patients without cancer
“These results highlight the importance of identifying optimal secondary prevention treatments in cancer patients,” the authors wrote.
Conclusion
The results demonstrate that improving stroke care in cancer patients could be multi-faceted: new treatment considerations and a focus on high risk co-morbid conditions in cancer patients. These treatments can improve quality of life, prevent recurrent ischemic stroke, and prolong survival.
About the Technology
The MDClone ADAMS Platform is a self-service data analytics environment that empowers users to quickly organize and access information, accelerate research, drive better patient outcomes, empower healthcare teams to action, and create impactful healthcare innovation.
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