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Cancer-associated coagulopathy stroke carried high early recurrence and mortality risk

Journal of Neurology (PubMed)Sep 20, 2026

AI-summarized from the linked source. Educational brief, not medical advice.

Brief summary

A systematic review characterized cancer-associated coagulopathy stroke as an underrecognized ischemic stroke mechanism linked to advanced cancer, early recurrence, and poor outcomes.

What NurseJet pulled from the source

The qualitative review included 82 studies. Cancer-associated coagulopathy stroke occurred predominantly within six months of cancer diagnosis, most often with advanced or metastatic adenocarcinoma; D-dimer was the biomarker most consistently associated with recurrence and mortality, and reported 30-day mortality ranged from 25% to 50%.

Why this matters for nurses

Neuro and oncology nurses may be first to recognize a new focal deficit or recurrent neurologic change in a patient with active cancer. The review highlights a high-risk stroke mechanism that requires rapid assessment while leaving treatment selection to individualized multidisciplinary evaluation.

Bedside takeaway

Escalate new neurologic deficits immediately and communicate the patient's cancer and antithrombotic context to the stroke team.

Key takeaways

  • Lung and pancreatic adenocarcinomas were the histologic subtypes most frequently associated with cancer-related coagulopathy stroke.
  • Multiple infarcts across more than two vascular territories were a characteristic imaging pattern described in the review.
  • Low-molecular-weight heparin and direct oral anticoagulants were commonly used for secondary prevention, but the review did not establish one optimal antithrombotic strategy.

Practice implications

  • Treat any new focal neurologic deficit as an emergency, document onset and progression precisely, and promptly communicate active or metastatic cancer, recent cancer diagnosis, coagulation results, and current antithrombotic therapy to the stroke team. Follow facility stroke and anticoagulation protocols and provider orders.

Limitations & cautions

  • The review synthesized heterogeneous studies qualitatively and did not report a pooled treatment comparison. Biomarkers other than D-dimer had limited specificity, and the abstract does not support choosing one anticoagulant or screening strategy.
  • AI-summarized from the linked source. Review the original article before applying to practice.

Citations

Exact source links

Public citations are filtered to exact credible source pages. Homepage-only or invalid links stay in admin review and are not shown here.

Journal of Neurology (PubMed)

Journal of Neurology (PubMed). Stroke secondary to cancer-associated coagulopathy: a systematic review.

Open original source

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/42763842/

Professional education only

This summary does not replace clinical judgment, facility policy, provider orders, or official guidelines. Verify practice changes against the original source and local protocol.

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