Arrhythmias & electrophysiology
Coexisting atrial fibrillation and cancer: time trends and associations with mortality in a nationwide Dutch study
Authors' conclusion
Atrial fibrillation and cancer were associated bidirectionally and were increasingly coexisting, but AF risk varied by cancer type. Coexisting AF and cancer were negatively associated with survival.
Study context
- Population
- Dutch nationwide population with incident atrial fibrillation (AF) or cancer, 2015–19matched cohorts
- Participants
- 320,139 / 320,135 / 472,745 / 472,741
- Exposure
- Incident AF vs matched controls; incident cancer vs matched controls
- AFn = 320,139
- AF controlsn = 320,135reference
- Cancern = 472,745
- Cancer controlsn = 472,741reference
- Outcome
- Prevalence of cancer/AF at baseline, 1-year risk of cancer/AF diagnosis and time trends; association with all-cause mortality
- Follow-up
- 1 year
Methodological detailsmatched control cohorts, time-dependent Cox regression
- Matched control cohorts
- Time-dependent Cox regression
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Prevalence and 1-year risk of cancer (AF cohort) and of AF (cancer cohort)
AF
- Cancer prevalence
- 12.6%
- 1-year cancer risk
- 2.5%
AF controls
- Cancer prevalence
- 5.6%
- 1-year cancer risk
- 1.8%
Cancer
- AF prevalence
- 7.5%
- 1-year AF risk
- 2.8%
Cancer controls
- AF prevalence
- 4.3%
- 1-year AF risk
- 1.2%
Cancer prevalence
AF12.6%
AF controls5.6%
Cancer— not stated in the abstract
Cancer controls— not stated in the abstract
1-year cancer risk
AF2.5%
AF controls1.8%
Cancer— not stated in the abstract
Cancer controls— not stated in the abstract
AF prevalence
AF— not stated in the abstract
AF controls— not stated in the abstract
Cancer7.5%
Cancer controls4.3%
1-year AF risk
AF— not stated in the abstract
AF controls— not stated in the abstract
Cancer2.8%
Cancer controls1.2%
Adjusted hazard ratio (95% CI)
AFvs AF controls1-year cancer risk; similar by cancer type
1.52(1.46–1.58)
Cancervs Cancer controls1-year AF risk; higher for oesophagus, lung, stomach, myeloma, lymphoma
2.78(2.69–2.87)
- Cancer prevalence in AF cohort increasing
- 11.9% to 13.2%
- AF prevalence in cancer cohort increasing
- 6.9% to 8.2%
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
All-cause mortality
| aHR (95% CI) | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cancer after incident AFStrength of association varied by cancer type · time-dependent Cox regression | 7.77 (7.45–8.11) | |
| AF after incident cancerStrength of association varied by cancer type · time-dependent Cox regression | 2.55 (2.47–2.63) | |
| 0.10.31310Adjusted hazard ratio (log scale) |
Original publication
Coexisting atrial fibrillation and cancer: time trends and associations with mortality in a nationwide Dutch study. Eur Heart J. Published 15 April 2024. doi:10.
Composed by AI from the published abstract and checked against it. How Briefs are made →