Stroke survivors should consider getting careful screenings for cancer, according to new study which found that their risk of the disease is more than doubled.
Scientists have known for years that cancer survivors are more likely to suffer a stroke, but a team of researchers in Minnesota wanted to see if the opposite was true as well.
They analyzed information on 3,247 cancer-free participants over 35 who had suffered a mild ischemic stroke to see if they developed cancer in the following four years.
Stroke survivors over the age of 50 were at a 120 percent higher risk of developing cancer in the first year, and a 140 percent higher risk at two years compared to people without stroke history.
While it’s not known exactly how stroke increases risk, the researchers theorized that since blood flow is blocked during a stroke, tissue cells die, which could trigger cellular changes that lead to cancer.
"If you've had a stroke before, especially with another high-risk factor, it's important that you talk to your doctor and discuss earlier cancer screening," said Malik Adil, M.D., the study’s lead author. Factors that increase cancer risk include smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, and a family history of cancer.
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