respiratory failure secondary to advanced malignancy
AI-generated summary
Ms Carmelina Bellocco, aged 61, died from respiratory failure secondary to advanced metastatic colon cancer. She had longstanding paranoid schizophrenia with poor insight and compliance. Cancer was diagnosed in 2006 after emergency surgery for bowel obstruction; she refused adjuvant chemotherapy. In 2009, recurrent metastatic disease developed with ascites. The Guardianship Board granted section 32 powers to enable colonoscopy and stenting, but Ms Bellocco deteriorated rapidly. A case conference on 9 October 2009 determined palliative care was appropriate, and she died one week later. The coroner found detention lawful and appropriate, and no recommendations were made. Clinical lesson: managing cancer treatment refusal in patients with mental illness requires careful capacity assessment, family consultation, and willingness to shift to palliative goals when curative options become inappropriate.
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