The authors describe the course of the disease in a 28-year-old woman who suffered two years following surgery of breast cancer from rapidly deteriorating dyspnoea, syncopes and laboratory manifestations of global respiratory insufficiency. The finding on auscultation of the lungs was normal, pulmonary angiography did not reveal signs of serious pulmonary embolization. The patient died after ten days in hospital despite comprehensive therapy and artificial ventilation. Necropsy revealed multiple microembolizations of tumourous cells into the pulmonary vessels as the main causes of the disease. Concurrently infiltration of the bone marrow by tumourous cells was revealed. The course of the disease was complicated by impaired haemocoagulation as a result of microangiopathic haemolytic anaemia and disseminated intravascular coagulation during the passage of erythrocytes through the pathologically altered pulmonary capillaries and impaired liver function.

Keywords: Adult; Anemia, Hemolytic /etiology/; Breast Neoplasms /pathology/; Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation /etiology/; Dyspnea /etiology/; Female; Humans; Lung /pathology/; Neoplastic Cells, Circulating; Syncope /etiology/