Risk of Cardioembolic Stroke in Cancer Patients with Atrial Fibrillation

In a recent article in the journal, Elbadawi et al1 find that the risk of cerebrovascular accidents (CVA) in cancer patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) was lower than in non-cancer patients with AF. At first glance this may appear surprising in light of the higher risk of stroke of cancer patients generally2,3, particularly those with aggressive subtypes and/or metastatic disease. However, recent studies in patients with AF and cancer4,5 show no increase in stroke risk, seemingly indicating that the risk of cardioembolic stroke specifically is not higher than in cancer-free pacients.
Source: The American Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Source Type: research