METHODS
We analyzed data on deaths in the U.S. from 1999 to 2019 in which AF and
cancer were listed as either an underlying or contributing cause of
death. Data were sourced from the CDC WONDER
database.7 The study focused on individuals aged 25
years and older, identified by the International Classification of
Diseases, Tenth Revision codes I48 for AF and C00-C97 for cancer. To
investigate national trends in AF and cancer-related mortality, we
calculated crude and age-adjusted mortality rates (AAMRs) per 100,000
individuals over the study period. Crude mortality rates were obtained
by dividing the annual number of deaths by the respective U.S.
population for each year, while AAMRs were standardized to the 2000 U.S.
population for consistency across years.8 We reported
95% confidence intervals (CIs) for all mortality rates. Trend analyses
were conducted using the Joinpoint Regression Program (Version 5.2.0,
National Cancer Institute), which calculates annual percent change (APC)
and average annual percent change (AAPC) along with corresponding 95%
CIs. A trend was classified as increasing or decreasing if its slope
significantly differed from zero, with statistical significance assessed
using two-tailed t-tests. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was considered statistically
significant.