P4618Cancer and risk of atrial fibrillation: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background: Previous studies have demonstrated an association between cancer and risk of subsequently developing atrial fibrillation (AF). However, these results have been conflicting. Purpose: We conducted this systematic review and meta-analysis to examine whether cancer patients are at an increased risk of developing AF. Methods: PubMed and Web of Science were searched for all records that examined the association between cancer and AF risk published before September 2016. Adjusted odds ratios (ORs) or hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% CI were extracted and pooled. Statistical analyses were performed with Review Manager (RevMan 5.3). Results: Seven studies with 5,905,909 subjects were included in the final meta-analysis, which demonstrated that cancer patients are at roughly 45% higher risk developing AF compared to non-cancer patients (OR 1.45, 95% CI 1.27 to 1.65, p<0.00001; I2=76%, p=0.0003) (Figure 1). Moreover, we found significantly increased risk of AF in recent diagnosed cancer patients (less than 90 days) (OR 7.62, 95% CI 3.08 to 18.88, p<0.0001), but this risk was not increased thereafter. Figure 1 Conclusions: Cancer is associated with an increased risk of AF but only within the first 90 days after cancer diagnosis. The findings will have important implications on possible initiation of anti-coagulation treatment in this high risk period. Acknowledgement/Funding: National Natural Science Foundation of China (No. 81570298, 81270245 to T.L.)