Cardiac metastasis from colorectal cancer: a case report

World J Gastroenterol. 2009 Jun 7;15(21):2675-8. doi: 10.3748/wjg.15.2675.

Abstract

The heart is an unusual site of metastasis from any malignancy. We report a case of cardiac metastasis from colorectal cancer. A 70-year-old woman was referred with a presumptive diagnosis of sigmoid colon cancer with cardiac myxoma. Two-dimensional echocardiography showed a 4 cm x 4.5 cm mobile mass on the lateral right atrial wall, and computed tomography revealed a low attenuated lobulating mass in the right atrium. The patient underwent anterior resection for sigmoid colon cancer (T4N2). Thereafter, she experienced progressive shortness of breath. Therefore, a cardiac operation was performed 2 wk after the colorectal operation. Histological examination revealed adenocarcinoma, which was identical to the primary lesion. Although two-dimensional echocardiography has become the diagnostic test of choice for detecting cardiac tumors, in patients with colorectal cancer showing a cardiac mass, further diagnostic evaluation such as a magnetic resonance imaging might be necessary.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Heart Atria / pathology
  • Heart Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Heart Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Humans
  • Myxoma / diagnosis
  • Myxoma / pathology*
  • Sigmoid Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Sigmoid Neoplasms / pathology*