Cryptogenic stroke as a very early manifestation of pancreatic neoplasm

Abstract

We present two cases of middle-aged women who sustained definite cerebrovascular infarctions without predisposing risk factors. Work-up did not reveal any underlying etiology. Treatment with antiplatelets and anticoagulants improved the patients' symptoms. Two and five years later, both patients developed pancreatic cancer. In this article, we discuss the association between cryptogenic stroke and pancreatic cancer and review the cases described in the literature with this association.