Why the study?
Histiocytic sarcoma is an aggressive lymphohematopoietic tumor with rare described cases of undiagnosed sudden death.
Highlights a rare case of sudden unexpected death caused by cardiac metastasis from undiagnosed histiocytic sarcoma.
Cardiac HS involvement may precipitate sudden death; leaves open need for prognostic markers in this rare aggressive tumor.
BACKGROUND: Haematological malignancies, such as lymphoma and leukaemia, can have a variety of clinical manifestations. The most frequent cause of death from haematological malignancies is multiple organ failure due to neoplastic organ infiltration and/or septic shock. Histiocytic sarcoma (HS) is a rare malignant nodal or extranodal tumour with histiocytic immunophenotype that originates from a lymphohematopoietic precursor. The patients with HS usually have a poor prognosis due to its aggressive clinical behaviour. Rare cases of undiagnosed sudden HS death have been described in the literature. METHODS: A forensic autopsy of a 46-year-old white male who died at home suddenly and unexpectedly without warning conditions or known diseases. Gross analysis, histology and toxicology were also performed. RESULTS: The diagnosis of HS of the ileum with secondary nodal and cardiac metastatization was made. CONCLUSIONS: A prompt diagnosis of HS in life is paramount because it can make a difference in prognostic outcomes.
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Feola et al. (2021) studied this question.
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