Cardio-oncology & otherCohort study

Increased Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Risk in Cancer

JACC AdvPublished

  • population-based, matched cohort study
  • matched 1:5 on age, sex, and region
  • 7 national registers
  • Cox proportional hazards models

Authors' conclusion

Patients with cancer had a higher hazard of OHCA than cancer-free controls. Cancer site, time since diagnosis, and metastasis status were key factors associated with the hazard of OHCA. These findings may help inform tailored cardiovascular risk assessment, preventive strategies, shared decision-making, and end-of-life planning in oncology care.

Study context

Population
Adults (≥18 years) diagnosed with cancer from 2010 to 2022 and cancer-free controlsnearly 800,000 patients with cancer and 3,700,000 controls · patients with cancer nearly 800,000 · controls 3,700,000
Exposure
Cancer vs cancer-free controls
  • patients with cancern = nearly 800,000
  • controlsn = 3,700,000reference

Main finding

OHCA

Adjusted hazard ratio

1.55

95% CI 1.50–1.60

patients with cancer vs controls
adjusted HR 1.55 (95% CI 1.50–1.60)

As reported in the abstract

Observational data: associations, not effects.

Further findings

OHCA by cancer site and time since diagnosis

Lung and neurological cancers: greatest short-term hazards vs controls
approximately 6-fold higher
Lung cancer and multiple myeloma: highest long-term excess hazards vs controls
approximately 2- to 3-fold higher
Greatest excess hazards in lung, gastrointestinal, and neurological cancers
Association strongest within the first year after cancer diagnosis, but remained increased throughout follow-up

Original publication

Increased Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest Risk in Cancer. JACC Adv. Published 5 October 2026. doi:10.1016/j.jacadv.2026.103293

Summarised from the published abstract; every number is checked against it