title: Inferior Vena Cava Tumor Thrombosis Secondary to Metastatic Uterine Cancer: A Rare Cause of Sudden Unexpected Death.
abstract: Pulmonary tumor thromboembolus (PTTE) secondary to uterine cancer is a rare cause of sudden unexpected deaths in the elderly population. Additionally, tumor extension to the inferior vena cava (IVC) makes it rarer. No such cases have been previously reported in the forensic literature. We report this phenomenon in a previously healthy 70-year-old woman with no other known risk factors for the development of deep vein thrombosis. The deceased was found dead while watching television with her relatives. Autopsy examination revealed that her death was attributed to a saddle embolus lodged in the main pulmonary arteries. A uterine tumor was discovered, and microscopic examination revealed low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma with angiolymphatic invasion. The tumor cells were also found in the embolus and the remnant thrombosis attached to the inner wall of the IVC. This case demonstrates a sudden unexpected death caused by acute PTTE following seeding of uterine cancer into the IVC and raises awareness of such events.
authors.affiliation: Department of Forensic Medicine, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand.
authors.forename: Supawon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Srettabunjong
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, Faculty of Medicine Siriraj Hospital, Mahidol University, Bangkok, 10700, Thailand.
authors.forename: Tuenjai
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Chuangsuwanich
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D012509:Sarcoma / Q000473:pathology / Q000556:secondary*; D014594:Uterine Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D019043:Vascular Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000473:pathology*; D020246:Venous Thrombosis / Q000209:etiology*
keywords: forensic science; inferior vena cava tumor thrombosis; low-grade endometrial stromal sarcoma; pulmonary tumor thromboembolism; sudden unexpected death; uterine cancer