Discussion: In our case-control study two subsets of cancer patients were delineated. In a subgroup, cancer and stroke co-exist, sharing traditional vascular risk factors. In another subset of patients, stroke appears to be directly related to the presence of a malignancy, where hypercoagulopathy turns out to be a decisive mechanism. Conclusion:In clinical grounds, hypercoagulopathy as stroke etiology should prompt the physician to screen the patient for occult cancer.