Link between prostate cancer diagnosis and stroke in the United States during 2007-2017.

INTRODUCTION

The main purpose of this work is to study prostate cancer and stroke in the United States during the years 2007-2017 and to find not only statistically significant predictors for cancer, but also a possible association between prostate cancer and stroke.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

The statistical methods used to derive the results of this work are χ test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), in order to check the statistical significance of prostate cancer in relation to socio-economic factors of patients. In addition, a multivariate logistic regression analysis was used with the odds ratio (OR) to find statistically significant prognostic factors for both prostate cancer and stroke.

RESULTS

According to multiple logistic regression analysis, males who are unemployed but have worked previously have 16 times higher risk of developing prostate cancer, while widowed men have five times higher risk for the occurrence of this type of cancer. In addition, marital status and employment proved to be also prognostic risk factors for stroke.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results describe for the first time the importance of deprivation (of work and partner) as a primary prognostic risk factor for cancer. Moreover, the same factor proved to be the primary prognostic risk factor for stroke as well as for prostate cancer, a fact that implies a possible link between cancer and stroke.