title: Disseminated intravascular coagulation in a patient with metastatic prostate cancer: fatal outcome following strontium-89 therapy.
abstract: A patient with metastatic prostate cancer was found to have low-grade disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC). He had significant bone pain despite external-beam radiotherapy and was given 89Sr with subsequent thrombocytopenia and epistaxis. The patient died from generalized hemorrhage 36 days postinjection. Although it is not possible to establish a causal relationship between the 89Sr and DIC, practitioners should be alert to complications associated with the primary disorder which might occur at a time to raise concern about the intervention.
authors.affiliation: University of British Columbia, Division of Radiation Oncology, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Coupland
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Gascoyne
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D000368:Aged; D001859:Bone Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000532:radiotherapy* / Q000556:secondary*; D004211:Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation / Q000209:etiology*; D004844:Epistaxis / Q000209:etiology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011471:Prostatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D013921:Thrombocytopenia / Q000209:etiology
chemical_list: D013326:Strontium Radioisotopes