Six-month prognosis of acute ischemic stroke in patients with cancer: A prospective study

Abstract

Objectives: This study aimed to investigate factors associated with six-month survival in patients with a history of cancer diagnosis.

Patients and methods: This prospective study included 66 patients (37 males, 29 females; median age: 67 years; range, 60 to 73 years) who were admitted to a tertiary hospital with acute ischemic stroke and a history of cancer between July 2020 and October 2022.

Results: At six months, 39 (59.1%) patients had died. Multivariable Cox regression analysis identified three factors significantly associated with six-month mortality. Each 1-point increase in the platelet distribution width (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.280, p = 0.008) and neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (HR = 1.040, p < 0.001) were associated with increased mortality. By contrast, each 1-point increase in body mass index was associated with a 10% lower risk of death (HR = 0.899, p = 0.023).

Conclusion: Higher neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio and platelet distribution width, and lower body mass index were independently associated with six-month mortality in patients with acute ischemic stroke and a history of cancer. These findings highlight the need for careful prognostic assessment, although they should be interpreted with caution given the study’s limited sample size.

Cite this article as: Kozak HH, Araz M, İnce A, Buğrul A. Six-month prognosis of acute ischemic stroke in patients with cancer: A prospective study. Turk J Neurol 2026;32(2):136- 144. https://doi.org/10.55697/tnd.2026.627.

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

H.H.K., A.B., M.A.: Idea/ concept, design, data collection and/or processing; H.H.K., M.A.: Control/supervision; A.B.: Analysis and/or interpretation; A.B., A.İ.: Literature review, writing the article, materials; A.B., A.İ., H.H.K., M.A.: Critical review; A.B., A.İ., H.H.K., M.A.: References and fundings

The authors declared no conflicts of interest with respect to the authorship and/ or publication of this article.

The authors received no financial support for the research and/or authorship of this article.

The authors declare that artificial intelligence (AI) tools were not used, or were used solely for language editing, and had no role in data analysis, interpretation, or the formulation of conclusions. All scientific content, data interpretation, and conclusions are the sole responsibility of the authors. The authors further confirm that AI tools were not used to generate, fabricate, or ‘hallucinate’ references, and that all references have been carefully verified for accuracy.