Acute pulmonary embolism is considered a cardiovascular emergency and is one of the most important causes of morbidity and mortality in hospitalized patients. Tumor embolism is a rare and unique complication of malignancies, and detached thrombi or tumors may cause massive pulmonary embolism in patients with malignancies. The identification of the type of pulmonary embolism is critical because treatment and prognosis vary considerably. We report an unusual presentation of a tumor embolism that was misdiagnosed as a pulmonary thromboembolism in a young woman. The patient was initially treated with the anti-coagulants warfarin and aspirin, but her symptoms were aggravated after two months and she required emergency surgery. Histology revealed a pulmonary embolism due to metastatic chondrosarcoma. Following surgery, her condition deteriorated, and she did not survive. This case highlights the need to investigate the cause of pulmonary embolism should the patient not respond to anti-coagulatant therapy.
Aspirin ; Chondrosarcoma ; Emergencies ; Female ; Humans ; Neoplasm Metastasis ; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating ; Prognosis ; Pulmonary Embolism ; Warfarin