An autopsy case of pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy that occurred after surgical treatment for primary peritoneal cancer
Yutaka Yoshiia Kenichiro Shimizua Sho Watanabea Masamichi Takagia Mitsutoshi Tominagab Kazuyoshi Kuwanoc
aDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, The Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital
bDepartment of Cardiology Medicine, The Jikei University Kashiwa Hospital
cDepartment of Respiratory Medicine, The Jikei Universtity School of Medicine
This case is of a 56-year-old woman with a past history of primary peritoneal cancer after surgery and chemotherapies. She was admitted to our hospital with dyspnea. A chest enhanced CT showed no abnormality other than that of pulmonary artery enlargement. Pulmonary hypertension was diagnosed on the basis of an estimated right ventricular systolic pressure of 72 mmHg by cardiac ultrasonography. After admission, she was treated for pulmonary hypertension. However, respiratory failure rapidly worsened, and she died after 48 h of hospitalization. We performed an autopsy in which prominent fibrocellular intimal proliferation of the small pulmonary arteries and arterioles was identified. Tumor emboli were also observed in many places within the arteries and arterioles. Because the tumor cells were the same as the peritoneal cancer cells of the surgery specimen, we diagnosed pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy caused by peritoneal cancer.
Pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy Pulmonary tumor embolism Primary peritoneal cancer Pulmonary hypertension Serous adenocarcinoma
Received 24 Nov 2011 / Accepted 1 Feb 2012
AJRS, 1(5): 445-449, 2012