Shanghai Jiao Tong University Reports Findings in Atrial Fibrillation (Cancer and Atrial Fibrillation Comorbidities Among 25 Million Citizens in Shanghai, China: Medical Insurance Database Study): Heart Disorders and Diseases – Atrial Fibrillation

2023 OCT 30 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- New research on Heart Disorders and Diseases - Atrial Fibrillation is the subject of a report. According to news reporting out of Shanghai, People’s Republic of China, by NewsRx editors, research stated, “With population aging, the prevalence of both cancer and atrial fibrillation (AF) have increased. However, there is scarce epidemiological data concerning the comorbid state of cancer and AF in low- and middle-income countries, including China.”

Our news journalists obtained a quote from the research from Shanghai Jiao Tong University, “We aimed to evaluate the site-, sex-, and age-specific profiles of cancer and AF comorbidities in Chinese populations. Data from the Shanghai Municipal Health Commission database between 2015 and 2020 were screened, covering all medical records of Shanghai residents with medical insurance. Site-specific cancer profiles were evaluated for the population with AF relative to the age- and sex-adjusted population of residents without AF. The sex distribution and peak age of cancer diagnosis were also assessed. A total of 25,964,447 adult patients were screened. Among them, 22,185 patients presented cancers comorbid with AF (median 77, IQR 67-82 years of age; men: n=13,631, 61.44%), while 839,864 presented cancers without AF (median 67, IQR 57-72 years of age; men: n=419,020, 49.89%), thus yielding a higher cancer prevalence among residents with AF (8.27%) than among those without AF (6.05%; P<.001). In the population with AF, the most prevalent cancer type was lung cancer, followed by colorectal, male genital organ, stomach, breast, liver, bladder, thyroid, leukemia, and esophageal cancers. AF was associated with an average of nearly 1.4-fold (prevalence ratio [PR] 1.37, 95% CI 1.35-1.38) increased prevalence of cancer after adjusting for age and sex. For site-specific analyses, an increased prevalence of cancer in the population with AF was observed in 20 of 21 cancer sites. This increased prevalence was most prominent for nonsolid tumors, including multiple myeloma (PR 2.56, 95% CI 2.28-2.87), leukemia (PR 1.73, 95% CI 1.57-1.90), and non-Hodgkin lymphoma (PR 1.59, 95% CI 1.43-1.77); intrathoracic malignancies, including mediastinum (PR 2.34, 95% CI 1.89-2.90), lung (PR 1.64, 95% CI 1.59-1.69), and esophageal cancers (PR 1.41, 95% CI 1.28-1.56); bone and soft tissue neoplasms (PR 1.56, 95% CI 1.37-1.77); and kidney cancer (PR 1.53, 95% CI 1.36-1.72). Cancer prevalence in the population with AF relative to that in the population without AF was higher in men than in women in 14 of 18 cancer sites, and female predominance was only observed for thyroid cancer. The peak age of index cancer diagnosis was lower in the population with AF (age group: 70-74 years) than in that without AF (age group: 75-79 years), especially for specific cancer types, including thyroid, central nervous system, mediastinum, esophageal, bladder, and biliary cancers. Patients with AF are associated with increased prevalence, heightened male predominance, and younger peak age of cancer.”

According to the news editors, the research concluded: “Further studies are needed to determine whether early screening of specific cancers is cost-effective and beneficial for patients with AF.”

For more information on this research see: Cancer and Atrial Fibrillation Comorbidities Among 25 Million Citizens in Shanghai, China: Medical Insurance Database Study. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance, 2023;9. JMIR Public Health and Surveillance can be contacted at: Jmir Publications, Inc, 130 Queens Quay East, Unit 1100, Toronto, On M5A 0P6, Canada.

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting Cheng Li, Dept. of Cardiology, Xinhua Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, People’s Republic of China. Additional authors for this research include Mu Chen, Jiwei Zhang, Xin Cui, Wenqi Tian, Peng Liao, Qunshan Wang, Jian Sun, Li Luo, Hong Wu and Yi-Gang Li.

The direct object identifier (DOI) for that additional information is: https://doi.org/10.2196/40149. This DOI is a link to an online electronic document that is either free or for purchase, and can be your direct source for a journal article and its citation.

Publisher contact information for the journal JMIR Public Health and Surveillance is: Jmir Publications, Inc, 130 Queens Quay East, Unit 1100, Toronto, On M5A 0P6, Canada.

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