Research indicates that the risk of ischemic stroke temporarily increases significantly following a breast cancer diagnosis, peaking at 2.9 times higher within the first three months.
On July 21, medical professionals reported findings from a research team led by Professor Shin Dong-wook of Samsung Medical Center, Professor Han Kyung-do of Soongsil University, Professor Park Yong-moon of the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, and Dr. Jeong Won-young of the University of Pennsylvania (currently at the Cleveland Clinic). They utilized big data from the National Health Insurance Service to compare 107,606 breast cancer surgery patients with 322,818 women without a cancer history.
The study focused on women aged 18 and older who were newly diagnosed with breast cancer and had no prior history of stroke between 2010 and 2016. Each breast cancer patient was matched with three women of the same birth year without a cancer history for an average follow-up of 7.2 years.
The primary evaluation metric was the occurrence of ischemic stroke, a condition where blood supply to brain tissue is interrupted due to blocked blood vessels, commonly known as cerebral infarction, which can lead to death and disability.
Results showed that ischemic stroke occurred in 1,155 (1.07%) of breast cancer surgery patients, compared to 3,698 (1.15%) in the control group. Overall, the risk of ischemic stroke during the follow-up period did not differ significantly between the two groups, with a slight trend toward lower risk over the long term.
However, the risk of ischemic stroke was notably elevated immediately after diagnosis.
Within one year of diagnosis, the risk of ischemic stroke was 59% higher than in women without cancer. Specifically, the risk was highest at 2.90 times greater within the first three months and remained 2.27 times higher within six months. Over time, the risk gradually decreased, dropping to 17% higher by the three-year mark post-diagnosis.
The research team suggested that factors such as a hypercoagulable state due to cancer, inflammatory responses during surgery and treatment, and cardiovascular stress from chemotherapy may have contributed to the increased risk.
Professor Park Yong-moon, the lead author, emphasized the importance of considering not only how high the stroke risk is for breast cancer patients but also when that risk is elevated.
Professor Shin Dong-wook, the study's principal investigator, noted that patients with cardiovascular risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, or those who smoke require more careful management during the initial treatment phase. He advised that symptoms like sudden weakness in one limb, facial drooping, slurred speech, or loss of vision in one eye should prompt immediate medical attention for potential ischemic stroke.
This study was published in the latest issue of the journal Neurology, the official publication of the American Academy of Neurology.
Meanwhile, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in South Korea. According to the Korean Breast Cancer Society, the age-standardized incidence rate was 68.6 per 100,000 women in 2021.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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