To determine whether stroke survivors are more likely to undergo guideline-recommended cancer screening than the general population.

Stroke can be an early sign of cancer, and 3-10% of patients with stroke are diagnosed with cancer within two years. Several cancer types associated with stroke have established screening paradigms.

We performed a cross-sectional analysis using 2018 data from the CDC Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS). The BRFSS is an annual, nationally representative, health-related telephone survey of non-institutionalized Americans. Participants are asked about health conditions and health-related behaviors. In 2018, participants were asked about cancer screening. We included respondents with and without prior stroke. We defined age- and sex-appropriate lung, colorectal, and breast cancer screening based on the United States Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) recommendations. Accordingly, for example, lung cancer screening rates were only calculated for respondents ages 55-80 with at least a 30 pack-year smoking history. We used survey-specific methods to calculate screening rates for those with and without prior stroke. We used logistic regression to estimate the odds of screening in stroke survivors, compared to those without stroke, while adjusting for demographics and comorbidities.