Abstract

Abstract BACKGROUND Elevated standardised mortality ratio of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in patients with brain tumours may result from differences in the distribution of risk factors. We compared the risk of CVD among patients with a primary malignant or non-malignant brain tumour to a matched general population cohort, accounting for other co-morbidities. MATERIAL AND METHODS Using data from the Secured Anonymised Information Linkage (SAIL) Databank in Wales (United Kingdom), we identified all adults aged ≥18 years in the primary care database with first diagnosis of malignant and non-malignant brain tumour identified in the cancer registry in 2000-2014, and a matched cohort (case-to-control ratio 1:5) by age, sex and primary care provider from the general population without any tumour diagnosis. Outcomes included fatal and non-fatal major vascular events (stroke, ischaemic heart disease, aortic and peripheral vascular diseases) and venous thromboembolism (VTE). We used multivariable cox models adjusted for clinical risk factors to compare risks, stratified by tumour behaviour and follow-up period. RESULTS There were 2,869 and 3,931 people diagnosed with malignant and non-malignant brain tumours, respectively, between 2000 and 2014 in Wales. They were matched to 33,785 controls. Within the first year of tumour diagnosis, malignant tumour was associated with a higher risk of VTE (hazard ratio [HR] 21.58, 95% confidence interval 16.12-28.88) and stroke (HR 3.32, 2.44-4.53). Risks of VTE (HR 2.20, 1.52-3.18) and stroke (HR 1.45, 1.00-2.10) remained to be higher than controls for those surviving one year. Patients with non-malignant tumours had higher risks of VTE (HR 3.72, 2.73-5.06), stroke (HR 4.06, 3.35-4.93) and aortic and peripheral arterial disease (HR 2.09, 1.26-3.48) within the first year of diagnosis compared with their controls. CONCLUSION The elevated CVD and VTE risks suggested risk reduction may be a strategy to improve life quality and survival in people with a brain tumour.

Full Text
Published version (Free)

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call