A M Sesterhenn 1 , A Szalay , A P Zimmermann , J A Werner , P J Barth , S Wiegand Show Affiliations »
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Nowadays, the morphological assessment of samples obtained from living patients has a greater importance than the scientific knowledge which is gained by autopsy. Therefore, the aim of the study was a retrospective analysis of causes of death in patients with head and neck cancer. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The autopsy rate, clinical parameters of oncologic patients as well as autopsy findings like lethal complications, distant metastases and second primary tumors were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: From 1968 to 2007 in 91 patients with malignant tumors of the head and neck an autopsy was performed. In these 39 years an autopsy was performed in 45.9% of dead oncologic patients. Autopsy findings revealed distant metastases in 46.2% and second primary tumors in 17.6% of the patients. 49.5% of the patients died from pneumonia, 20.9% from tumor bleeding and 10% from progressive cachexia. CONCLUSION: The study confirms the global trend of a decline in autopsy numbers in the last 3 decades. However, as an important instrument of quality assurance autopsies continue to play an essential and indispensable role in medical research. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
BACKGROUND: Nowadays, the morphological assessment of samples obtained from living patients has a greater importance than the scientific knowledge which is gained by autopsy. Therefore, the aim of the study was a retrospective analysis of causes of death in patients with head and neck cancer . MATERIAL AND METHODS: The autopsy rate, clinical parameters of oncologic patients as well as autopsy findings like lethal complications, distant metastases and second primary tumors were retrospectively analyzed. RESULTS: From 1968 to 2007 in 91 patients with malignant tumors of the head and neck an autopsy was performed. In these 39 years an autopsy was performed in 45.9% of dead oncologic patients . Autopsy findings revealed distant metastases in 46.2% and second primary tumors in 17.6% of the patients . 49.5% of the patients died from pneumonia , 20.9% from tumor bleeding and 10% from progressive cachexia . CONCLUSION: The study confirms the global trend of a decline in autopsy numbers in the last 3 decades. However, as an important instrument of quality assurance autopsies continue to play an essential and indispensable role in medical research. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York.
Entities: Disease
Species
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Year: 2012
PMID： 22477387 DOI： 10.1055/s-0032-1306363
Source DB: PubMed Journal: Laryngorhinootologie ISSN： 0935-8943 Impact factor: 1.057