Acute Pericarditis and Cancer Risk: A Matched Cohort Study Using Linked UK Primary and Secondary Care Data
Key result
Acute pericarditis linked to ~3-fold higher subsequent cancer risk, peaking early after diagnosis.
- HR 3.03
- 95% CI 2.74-3.36
- n=32,641
Why the study?
Acute pericarditis may be an indicator of undetected cancer, but patient-level factors associated with high cancer risk after pericarditis are not well defined.
Is acute pericarditis associated with an increased risk of subsequent cancer diagnosis?
Population
6,530 patients with acute pericarditis and 26,111 matched controls in the UK
Comparison
Patients with acute pericarditis vs matched comparison cohort without pericarditis
Design
Population-based matched cohort study using linked primary and secondary care data
Follow-up
Median 2.8 years (pericarditis) and 3.5 years (comparison)
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
May prompt early malignancy evaluation after acute pericarditis; hypothesis-generating and requires prospective validation before changing practice.
Study Design
Type
Cohort (n=32,641)
Structured PICO
Is acute pericarditis associated with an increased risk of subsequent cancer diagnosis?
P
Population
32,641 individuals from the UK, including 6,530 with acute pericarditis and 26,111 matched controls, followed for a median of 2.8 to 3.5 years to evaluate subsequent cancer risk.
E
Exposure
Acute pericarditis (exposure)
C
Comparator
Matched comparison cohort without acute pericarditis
O
Outcome
Incident cancerhard clinical
Main Result
Hazard Ratio: 3.03 (95% CI 2.74–3.36)
Absolute Event Rate: 11.1% vs 5.3%
Acute pericarditis is associated with a significantly increased risk of subsequent cancer diagnosis, particularly within the first 3 months, suggesting occult cancers may go undiagnosed during the acute episode.
Cite This Study
Søgaard et al. (2018) conducted a cohort in Acute pericarditis (n=32,641). Acute pericarditis vs. Matched comparison cohort without acute pericarditis was evaluated on Any cancer (HR 3.03, 95% CI 2.74-3.36). Acute pericarditis was associated with an elevated subsequent risk of any cancer compared to matched controls (HR 3.03; 95% CI 2.74-3.36), with the highest risk observed in the first 3 months.