[Causes of death in cancer patients]

Abstract

Causes of death of 260 tumorous patients autopsied in 1974 were analyzed. Most common causes were inflammation and tumorous and non-tumorous organ insufficiencies; the others, in order of decreasing incidence, massive tumorous dissemination, infarct and haemorrhage. Pneumonia was predominating over the inflammatory causes although peritonitis and sepsis were also not rarely encountered. Death due to inflammation occurred most frequently in cases of myeloid-lymphoid, urogenital and gastro-intestinal tumours and in postoperative states. The incidence of insufficiencies due to tumorous or non-tumorous origin differed but slightly. Of the various organ insufficiencies, massive hepatic metastases, occlusion of the biliary duct and cardiac failure were the most common. In cases of tumors of the small pelvis, compression of the ureters led most often to death. Massive dissemination was observed most of all in breast and ovarian carcinomas. Myeloid-lymphoid tumors led to death through extensive organ infiltration in about one thirds of the cases. After hearth infarction, venous thrombosis was often followed by pulmonary embolism, however, coronary occlusion was also not rare. Death due to haemorrhage originated from acute or chronic ulcers of the gastrointestinal tract or from vascular invasion of tumors in the head and neck regions or from thrombocytopaenia induced by cytostatics.