An autopsy case of pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy due to rapidly progressing colon cancer in a patient with type 2 diabetes

Abstract

We herein describe a case of pulmonary tumor thrombotic microangiopathy (PTTM) with rapidly progressing colon cancer. A 61-year-old man who had been receiving treatment for type 2 diabetes mellitus for 3 years was hospitalized due to critical hypoxemia. Computed tomography, which had not shown any abnormalities 3 months previously, revealed a tumor in the ascending colon, multiple nodules in the liver, and the absence of any lung abnormalities. On day 3 of hospitalization, a sudden onset of severe dyspnea and tachy-cardia occurred, followed by death. Autopsy revealed microscopic metastatic tumor emboli in multiple pulmonary vessels with fibrin thrombus and intimal proliferation, which led to a diagnosis of PTTM.