Infections in haematologic neoplasms: autopsy findings.
METHODS
Infections are the main cause of death in most haematologic malignancies. We studied 95 autopsies of patients who died from haematologic neoplasms in the period 1980-1989 at Niguarda Cà Granda Hospital.


CONCLUSIONS
Infections were the cause of death in 63% of patients. In this group of patients bacterial infections accounted for 43% of deaths; fungal infections were frequent too (28%), mainly among leukemic patients; viral (9%), mycobacterial (7%) and polymicrobic infections (11%) were also documented. Haemorrhages were less frequently fatal (12%) due to the availability of haemocomponents. A high number of fatal haemorrhages were associated with fungal infections. Neoplastic progression was the real cause of death in only a few cases, and cardiovascular and pulmonary complications were fatal in the great majority of the other patients.
Nosari
A
A
Divisioni di Ematologia, Patologia e Oncologia, Ospedale Niguarda Ca Granda, Milano, Italy.
Barberis
M
M
Landonio
G
G
Magnani
P
P
Majno
M
M
Oreste
P
P
Sozzi
P
P
D000380:Agranulocytosis / Q000150:complications; D001344:Autopsy; D002423:Cause of Death; D015897:Comorbidity; D006470:Hemorrhage / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000401:mortality; D007239:Infections / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000401:mortality; D007938:Leukemia / Q000453:epidemiology; D008223:Lymphoma / Q000453:epidemiology; D009101:Multiple Myeloma / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology*; D012189:Retrospective Studies