In the first case, a 44-year-old man died about three hours after paracenteses of both palatine tonsils. A tumor measuring 6.5 x 2.5 x 2.0 centimeters, caused by bleeding and edema, was found during the subsequent autopsy. The tumor extended from the right palatine tonsil to the right edge of the epiglottis. The cause of death was suffocation due to the tumor's obstruction of the man's airway. In the second case study, investigators initially believed a 51-year-old woman had been killed by manual strangulation. However, the autopsy revealed three malignant tumors, each smaller than a fingertip, in the lower pharynx. There was no evidence of acute asphyxial death. The cause of death was determined to be delayed asphyxia caused by the tumors. 1 figure and 10 references