Cardiac metastasis of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) of the tongue is rare. This report presents a known case of SCC of the tongue in a patient who was admitted with an initial diagnosis of pneumonia and endocarditis and had received wide spectrum antibiotics. Due to the lack of an appropriate response, surgical valve replacement was initially considered, but further evaluation by cardiac MRI revealed multiple cardiac, lung and paravertebral metastases, most probably from the previous SCC and as such the patient was managed conservatively. This case report highlights the importance of cardiac MRI for evaluating head and neck tumors and choosing optimal treatment plans.
Keywords: cardiac MRI; cardiac metastasis; squamous cell carcinoma.
Mouth cancer (also known as oral squamous cell carcinoma can spread to other areas of the body, including the heart – this is referred to as cardiac metastases. Although cardiac metastases is rare, it can change the surgical plan and prognosis of the disease. A young woman with a prior history of tongue squamous cell carcinoma was admitted with what was believed to be an infection of the inner surface of the heart, this is also known as infective endocarditis. However, a technique used to assess the function and structure of the cardiovascular system inside the heart called cardiac MRI, showed that the cancer had spread to multiple areas of the heart. With this knowledge the patient was managed conservatively but passed away 1 month later.