Recurrent thrombo-embolic episodes: the association of cholangiocarcinoma with antiphospholipid syndrome

Abstract

Antiphospholipid syndrome is a disorder of recurrent vascular thrombosis, pregnancy loss and thrombocytopenia associated with persistently elevated levels of antiphospholipid antibodies. It was first described in a group of patients with systemic lupus erythematosus but has since been associated with a wide range of conditions, including other autoimmune disorders and malignancy. It can also occur in isolation, the so-called primary antiphospholipid syndrome. We describe an elderly woman with the antiphospholipid syndrome thought to be associated with a cholangiocarcinoma.