It is already known that people with cancer have an increased risk of suffering a stroke. However, a new study has found that the opposite may also be true - those who suffer a stroke may have an increased risk of developing cancer.

US scientists analysed data relating to over 3,200 people over the age of 35 who did not have cancer, but had suffered a mild ischaemic stroke.

A stroke occurs when the blood supply to the brain is interrupted, depriving it of oxygen. As a result, some of the brain cells die and others are damaged. The majority of strokes - 80% - are known as ischaemic. These are strokes caused by a sudden blockage in the blood vessels supplying the brain, by a blood clot.

The study found that the annual rate of cancer incidence among those who had suffered an ischaemic stroke was higher than that of the general population. Stroke survivors were 1.2 times more likely to have developed cancer one year after their stroke, and were 1.4 times more likely after two years.

Furthermore, stroke survivors who went on to develop cancer were three times more likely to die than survivors who did not develop cancer.

The scientists explained that cancer patients have a higher risk of stroke because their blood tends to clot more often.

"In addition, when tissues get less oxygen due to blocked blood vessels, it destroys tissue cells and sets off a series of events to alter the normal physiology and may lead to cancer," they noted.

The study also noted that stroke survivors developed many different types of cancer, including breast, prostate, skin and bladder cancer.

"If you've had a stroke before, especially with another high risk factor, it's important that you talk to your doctor and discuss earlier cancer screening. Factors that may put a person at higher risk for developing cancer include cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption and a family history of cancer," commented lead study author, Dr Malik Adil, of the Zeenat Qureshi Stroke Institute in Minnesota.

Details of these findings were presented at the American Stroke Association's International Stroke Conference 2015 in Nashville, US.