Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Volume 108, Issue 7 , Pages 592-594, July 2009

Early-onset Stroke in a Patient With Nasopharyngeal Cancer Associated With Protein C Deficiency

  • Ya-Ning Chiu
    • ,
  • Tyng-Guey Wang
    • ,
  • Chein-Wei Chang

      Affiliations

    • Corresponding Author InformationCorrespondence to: Dr Chein-Wei Chang, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, 1 Chang-Te Street, Taipei, Taiwan

Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, National Taiwan University Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan

Received 19 September 2007; received in revised form 28 November 2007; accepted 15 January 2008.

We report a 47-year-old male stroke patient with nasopharyngeal cancer (NPC) and protein C deficiency. The patient was diagnosed with NPC and received a complete course of radiotherapy. Infarction stroke occurred 28 months after radiotherapy and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain confirmed the diagnosis. Carotid duplex sonography showed 50–79% stenosis in his left internal carotid artery. Coagulation profiles indicated protein C deficiency. After medical treatment and rehabilitation, the patient regained the ability to walk and he could perform most of his daily activities. Radiotherapy-induced carotid stenosis is an exacerbating feature of stroke in patients with protein C deficiency. We suggest early carotid duplex sonography and survey of the coagulation profile to prevent a stroke in patients with NPC.

Key Words:  carotid stenosis , nasopharyngeal cancer , protein C deficiency , radiotherapy , stroke

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PII: S0929-6646(09)60378-8

doi:10.1016/S0929-6646(09)60378-8

Journal of the Formosan Medical Association
Volume 108, Issue 7 , Pages 592-594, July 2009

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