Diagnosis of Incident Cancer After Cryptogenic Stroke: An Exploratory Analysis of the ARCADIA Randomized Trial.

Objectives: The objective of this study was to estimate the incidence, timing, and type of new cancer diagnosis among patients with cryptogenic stroke.

Methods: We used data from the ARCADIA trial, which enrolled patients with cryptogenic stroke and atrial cardiopathy. Participants were prospectively followed, and serious adverse events were assessed every 3 months or sooner if investigators were alerted between visits to an event. Kaplan-Meier statistics were used to estimate the cumulative incidence of a cancer diagnosis within the first year after randomization.

Results: Among 878 participants without baseline history of cancer, 13 (1.5%) were diagnosed with incident cancer in the year after randomization, comprising 12 solid cancers (3 prostate, 2 breast, 2 gastrointestinal, and 5 other primary sites) and 1 hematologic cancer (non-Hodgkin lymphoma). The cumulative incidences of a cancer diagnosis were 0% at 3 months, 0.6% (95% CI 0.2%-1.5%) at 6 months, and 2.0% (95 CI 1.1%-3.4%) at 1 year. The median time from index stroke to cancer diagnosis was 261 days (interquartile range 183-358).

Discussion: In a multicenter cryptogenic stroke cohort with prospective follow-up, the 1-year cumulative incidence of a cancer diagnosis was 2%. This rate may be an underestimation because of the clinical trial population and exclusion of cancers diagnosed immediately after stroke.

Trial registration information: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03192215. Registered June 20, 2017. First patient enrolled February 1, 2018.