A blood clot in the brain was the first sign of a lymphoma
Original title: Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis Revealing ALK-Positive Anaplastic Large-Cell Lymphoma in a Patient with Inherited Thrombophilia and Concomitant Infection: Case Report and Narrative Review.
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 a report about one patient, not a study of a new treatment.
The short version
In one young man, a blood clot in the brain turned out to be the first sign of a blood cancer.
What was studied. This is a report about one patient. He was a 24-year-old man with fever, headache, and a sore throat. Doctors kept testing him to find the cause.
What they found. Scans showed large clots in the veins that drain blood from the brain. There were no tumors in the brain tissue itself. A growth later formed in his skull and in the lining around the brain. Tests on that tissue showed a blood cancer called ALK-positive anaplastic large cell lymphoma, which had spread. He was treated with blood thinners and six cycles of cancer drugs, and later scans showed no active disease.
What this means, and what it doesn't
What it could mean: A clot in the brain's veins can sometimes be the first sign of a cancer. If the cause of a clot is not clear, it can help for doctors to keep looking.
What it doesn't mean: This is one person's story, not a study. One case cannot tell you what will happen to anyone else. It does not mean that most brain clots are caused by cancer. It is not a new treatment, and it is not a promise of a cure.
Source: PubMed, August 13, 2026 · Read the original
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