Evidence from previous studies suggests a relationship between ischaemic stroke and cancer such that 1 in 10 patients with ischaemic stroke has been shown to have comorbid cancer [1–3]. The most frequent types of cancer in patients with stroke are urogenital, breast and gastrointestinal [4]. Also, it has been shown that the incidence of stroke is highest in the short term in patients diagnosed with lung, colorectal and pancreatic cancers [5]. Cancer increases the risk of stroke through several mechanisms including hypercoagulability, nonbacterial endocarditis, direct tumor effects including compression of blood vessels by the primary tumor or metastases to the brain, and cancer-associated treatments such as chemotherapy, surgery and post-radiation vasculopathy [6].
