Recurrent venous thrombosis as the presenting sign of two primary lung carcinomas - 15 years apart

The association between hypercoagulability and malignant disease was first recognized by Armand Trousseau in 1865. Since then, abnormalities of the coagulation system have been repeatedly demonstrated in patients with cancer. Venous thrombosis can be the presenting feature of neoplastic disease, particularly of the lung, preceding other signs of the malignancy by many months. We report a patient with Trousseau's syndrome, in which recurrent deep vein thrombosis was the presenting sign of two primary lung cancers, appearing 15 years apart.