Coroner's Finding: Schuster, Gavin Shawn
Deceased
Gavin Shawn Schuster
Demographics
45y, male
Date of death
2020-10-13
Finding date
2023-12-22
Cause of death
Liver failure due to metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma
AI-generated summary
A 45-year-old male prisoner died from liver failure due to metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma. He had been prescribed cyproterone (Androcur) for 20+ years as an anti-libidinal agent, with regular blood tests monitoring liver function. Imaging from 2015-2020 showed progressive liver disease. He received appropriate specialist treatment including chemoembolisation and sorafenib, transitioning to palliative care in September 2020. The coroner found his treatment in custody appropriate and monitoring for medication side effects adequate. While liver cancer is an extremely rare side effect of cyproterone, causation could not be established. The case demonstrates appropriate clinical surveillance and management of a complex chronic condition in a custodial setting, with timely specialist involvement and appropriate end-of-life care.
AI-generated summary and tagging — may contain inaccuracies; refer to original finding for legal purposes.
Drugs involved
Clinical conditions
Contributing factors
- long-term cyproterone use
- fatty liver disease
- progressive hepatocellular carcinoma with metastases
- portal vein thrombosis
Full text
Related cases
Source and disclaimer
This page reproduces or summarises information from publicly available findings published by Australian coroners' courts. Coronial is an independent educational resource and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or acting on behalf of any coronial court or government body.
Content may be incomplete, reformatted, or summarised. All court orders for redaction and non-publication are respected; documents with technically defective redaction have been excluded from the database entirely. Always refer to the original court publication for the authoritative record.
Copyright in original materials remains with the relevant government jurisdiction. AI-generated summaries and tagging are for educational purposes only, may contain inaccuracies, and must not be treated as legal documents. We welcome feedback for correction —