A blood clot in the aorta caused sudden leg weakness in a man with cancer
Original title: A rare spinal cord infarction caused by aortic mural thrombosis in a patient with cancer and the associated diagnostic challenges due to it mimicking spinal cord compression: A case report.
How far along is this research?
- Lab cells
- Animals
- Review
- Tested in people
This was tested in people. That is the most reliable kind of research we share.
This is one patient's case, watched by his doctors, not a treatment that was tested.
The short version
A man with cancer suddenly lost strength in both legs, and the cause turned out to be a blood clot, not the tumor pressing on his spine.
What was studied. This is a report about one patient. He was a 75-year-old man with cancer that had spread, and doctors could not tell where it started. He was getting chemotherapy and immune therapy.
What they found. He suddenly became weak in both legs and lost control of his bladder and bowels. Doctors first thought the cancer in his spine bones was pressing on his spinal cord. Scans showed no pressing. Instead, the spinal cord had lost its blood supply, and a large clot on the wall of his main artery was the likely reason. Blood thinning medicine and early rehab helped him get back some, but not all, of his movement.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: If you have cancer and suddenly lose strength in your legs, the cause is not always the tumor. A blood clot can do the same thing. Doctors may need extra scans to tell the difference, because the treatment is very different.
What it doesn't mean: This is one patient's story, not a study. It does not test a new treatment, and it is not a cure for anything. One case cannot tell us how often this happens or who is at risk. It does not mean your care should change. Nothing here is a promise about how anyone else will do.
Source: PubMed, July 7, 2026 · Read the original
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