DEATH DUE TO SEVERE ANEMIA CAUSED BY PROSTATE CANCER: AN AUTOPSY REPORT

S. Takasu, S. Matsumoto, Y. Kanto, H. Nakagawa, S. Kodama, K. Iwadate

Abstract: The autopsy findings of a 66-year-old man who died of severe anemia caused by undiagnosed prostate cancer are presented. The findings suggested the condition of severe anemia. The infiltration and metastasis of the prostate specific antigen (PSA) positive adenocarcinoma was observed at the bladder, rectum and bone. Blood clot attached to the mucosal surface and trabeculation of the bladder and blood clot in the rectum was observed. Furthermore, the serum PSA level was markedly high, and thought to be valuable for a postmortem diagnosis of prostate cancer. The existence of rectal infiltration of the prostate cancer is a rare complication, and could indicate particularly advanced disease. The anemia found in this case was suspected to be caused by the combination of massive metastasis to the bone and active blood loss from the mucosa of the bladder and rectum. Moreover, the utility of postmortem measurement of serum PSA in the diagnosis of prostate cancer was suggested.
Keywords: forensic science, forensic pathology, forensic biochemistry, prostate cancer, prostate specific antigen, anemia.