Fatal pulmonary tumor embolism caused by chondroblastic osteosarcoma: report of a case and review of the literature.

Fatal pulmonary tumor embolism is an unusual phenomenon that has only rarely been reported with osteosarcoma. It usually presents with typical symptoms and signs of pulmonary thromboembolism. The authors report the case of a 65-year-old woman with chondroblastic osteosarcoma of the distal femur who suffered a fatal tumor embolism 30 hours after surgery and review the literature.