Pulmonary tumour emboli: a difficult ante-mortem diagnosis.

A woman with known metastatic breast cancer presented with subacute dyspnoea. Investigations were non-conclusive; provisional diagnoses of pulmonary thromboemboli and carcinomatous lymphangitis were made. Despite treatment the patient died 10 days after admission. Post-mortem examination showed extensive tumour emboli within the pulmonary arteries. The appropriate investigation and management of such patients is discussed.