Pulmonary tumour emboli: a difficult ante-mortem diagnosis.
A woman with known metastatic breast cancer presented with subacute dyspnoea. Investigations were non-conclusive; provisional diagnoses of pulmonary thromboemboli and carcinomatous lymphangitis were made. Despite treatment the patient died 10 days after admission. Post-mortem examination showed extensive tumour emboli within the pulmonary arteries. The appropriate investigation and management of such patients is discussed.
Brock
S J
SJ
Royal South Hants Hospital, Brinton Terrace, Southampton, UK.
Fuller
C
C
Iveson
T J
TJ
D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000473:pathology; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*