Stroke risk after head and neck cancer diagnosis and treatment in a Real-World clinical cohort

Head and neck cancer (HNC) patients are at an elevated risk of stroke, necessitating targeted research to better understand and mitigate their risk. Among 8,469 HNC patients, with mean age of 63.3 years, in the Flatiron Health database that includes electronic medical record (EMR) data from 280 cancer centers across the United States from 2003 to 2019, the age-adjusted stroke incidence rate, using Poisson regression model, was 307 events per 100,000 person-years, 1.7 times higher than in the general population (184 events per 100,000 person-years). Overall, the incidence among smokers was 445.1 events per 100,000 person-years. Among those who developed stroke within 1 year post HNC diagnosis, 93.94 % were smokers and 6.06 % were non-smokers. Stroke risk was 1.7-fold times higher among older (>60 years) compared to younger patients (<=49 years) after adjusting for covariates. Patients receiving radiation therapy exhibited a higher stroke incidence (2358.5 events per 100,000 person-years) compared to those undergoing chemotherapy alone (237.5 events per 100,000 person-years) suggesting a potential association between treatment modality and stroke risk. Patients with both hypertension and diabetes had a 7.4-fold (95 % CI: 3.727, 14.732, p < 0.0001) greater risk of stroke occurrence and those with hypertension alone had a 3.6-fold (95 % CI: 2.067, 6.252) higher risk of stroke, compared to those without hypertension or diabetes (p < 0.0001). These findings underscore the importance of integrating stroke evaluation into follow-up care for HNC patients, particularly in individuals with high risk factors.