Malignant melanoma embolus as a cause of acute aortic occlusion: report of a case.

A case of acute aortic occlusion caused by embolization of malignant melanoma tumor fragments is presented. Transfemoral catheter embolectomy restored normal lower extremity circulation. Noncardiac tumor emboli, although rare, originate either from primary pulmonary malignancies or nonpulmonary malignancies with pulmonary metastases and pulmonary vein invasion. Tumor embolization should be considered a possible source of peripheral arterial emboli when there is no other obvious source, such as the fibrillating or infarcted heart. In such cases, early surgical intervention should be considered in preference to therapy with heparin or streptokinase.

Subacute pulmonary hypertension due to carcinomatous microembolism.

A 43 year old female was admitted to hospital with severe pulmonary hypertension and cardiogenic shock. She had a two week history of dyspnea only. Resuscitative measures proved unsuccessful and she died ten hours after admission. Post mortem examination indicated that the pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular failure were due to endarteritis secondary to widespread carcinomatous microembolism from adenocarcinoma of the lung.

Malignant transformation of tracheobronchial juvenile papillomatosis without prior radiotherapy.

Squamous cell carcinoma of the trachea and bronchi developed in a 19-year-old male with recurrent laryngeal papillomata since age four, who had received no prior radiotherapy, but who was tracheotomized for obstructive laryngeal papillomata. Treatment with intravenous cytosine arabinoside, "moderate dose" methotrexate, topical 5-fluorouracil and irradiation failed to alter tumor growth, and the patient succumbed to recurrent arterial tumor emboli.