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Review
. 2022 Sep;12(9):e2738.
doi: 10.1002/brb3.2738. Epub 2022 Aug 8.

Cancer-related stroke: Exploring personalized therapy strategies

Yu-Jie Chen  1 , Rui-Guo Dong  2 , Meng-Meng Zhang  1 , Chao Sheng  1 , Peng-Fei Guo  1 , Jie Sun  1
Affiliations
Review

Cancer-related stroke: Exploring personalized therapy strategies

Yu-Jie Chen et al. Brain Behav. 2022 Sep.

Abstract

Background: Cancer and ischemic stroke are two common diseases that threaten human health and have become the main causes of death in the world. It is estimated that one-in-ten patients with ischemic stroke have concomitant cancer, and this incidence is expected to increase as improvements in medical technology extends the life expectancy of cancer patients.

Discussion: Cancer-related stroke (CRS) refers to unexplained ischemic stroke in patients with active cancer that cannot be explained by current stroke mechanisms. Available evidence suggests that CRS accounts for 5-10% of embolic stroke of undetermined source (ESUS). Although the incidence of CRS is gradually increasing, its underlying pathogenesis remains unclear. Also, there is no consensus on acute treatment and secondary prevention of stroke.

Conclusion: In this review, we retrospectively analyzed the incidence, mechanisms of CRS, its potential as a new stroke subtype, options for acute treatment, secondary prevention strategies, and disease progression, with the aim of attempting to explore personalized therapy strategies.

Keywords: cancer-related stroke; embolic stroke of undetermined source; hypercoagulability; individualized therapy; pathogenesis; stroke subtype.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
CRS challenges TOAST subtypes
FIGURE 2
FIGURE 2
Possible mechanisms between stroke and tumor. EVs, extracellular vesicles; NET, neutrophil extracellular trap
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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