Lung cancer is associated with acute ongoing cerebral ischemia: A population-based study

• Published in: International journal of stroke 2024-04, Vol.19 (4), p.406-413
• Main Authors: Naftali, Jonathan, Barnea, Rani, Eliahou, Ruth, Pardo, Keshet, Tolkovsky, Assaf, Adi, Meital, Hasminski, Vadim, Saliba, Walid, Bloch, Sivan, Raphaeli, Guy, Leader, Avi, Auriel, Eitan
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1747-4930; 1747-4949
• DOI: 10.1177/17474930231217670

Background and Objectives: Cerebral microinfarcts (CMIs) are the most common type of brain ischemia; however, they are extremely rare in the general population. CMIs can be detected by magnetic resonance diffusion-weighted imaging (MRI-DWI) only for a very short period of approximately 2 weeks after their formation and are associated with an increased stroke risk and cognitive impairment. We aimed to examine CMI detection rate in patients with lung cancer (LC), which is strongly associated with ischemic stroke risk relative to other cancer types. Methods: We used the Clalit Health Services record (representing more than 5 million patients) to identify adults with LC and breast, pancreatic, or colon cancer (non-lung cancer, NLC) who underwent brain magnetic resonance diffusion (MRI) scan within 5 years following cancer diagnosis. All brain MRI scans were reviewed, and CMIs were documented, as well as cardiovascular risk factors. Results: Our cohort contained a total of 2056 MRI scans of LC patients and 1598 of NLC patients. A total of 143 CMI were found in 73/2056 (3.5%) MRI scans of LC group compared to a total of 29 CMI in 22/1598 (1.4%) MRI scans of NLC (p