Malignancies and catastrophic anti-phospholipid syndrome.

The catastrophic anti-phospholipid (Asherson's) syndrome (CAPS) is characterised by the rapid chronological development of fulminant thrombotic complications that predominantly affect small vessels and differs from the anti-phospholipid syndrome in its accelerated systemic involvement leading to multi-organic failure. Malignancy may play a pathogenic role in patients with CAPS, whereas infections are more important as triggering factors in patients without malignancies. CAPS patients with malignancies are generally older than CAPS patients without malignancies; they generally have the worst prognosis of the entire CAPS cohort.