title: Sudden unexpected death from an undiagnosed histiocytic sarcoma in an adolescent female.
abstract: A previously well 15-year-old female who was awaiting medical investigations for a proptosed right eye collapsed and died suddenly while walking. Postmortem examination revealed diffuse distortion and infiltration of multiple organs by a suspected neoplastic process. Histology confirmed the invasion of multiple organs by atypical cells and myocardial infiltration was the likely cause of death. An extensive panel of immunohistochemistry established the diagnosis of a histiocytic sarcoma. Sudden unexpected death due to a clinically undiagnosed neoplasia in childhood and adolescence is uncommon. This is the first report of a histiocytic sarcoma causing sudden unexpected death and highlights the importance of considering undiagnosed hematological malignancies when examining a case of sudden death at postmortem.
authors.affiliation: Level 1 Neuroscience, Learning and Research Building, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS10 5NB, UK. harryrhaynes@doctors.org.uk.|Department of Cellular Pathology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK. harryrhaynes@doctors.org.uk.
authors.forename: H R
authors.initials: HR
authors.lastname: Haynes
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Pathology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Melegh
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Pathology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Vanjani
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Pathology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cieka
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Pathology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Beavers
authors.affiliation: Department of Cellular Pathology, North Bristol NHS Trust, Bristol, UK.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Rooney
authors.affiliation: Independent Forensic Pathologist, Dorset, UK.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Purdue
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000209:etiology*; D054747:Histiocytic Sarcoma / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000209:etiology; D008168:Lung / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology
keywords: Histiocytic sarcoma; Postmortem; Sudden death