Background: Myocardial infarction is currently the leading cause of death worldwide, followed by malignant neoplasms. The presence of both within the same patient obviously increases the risk of death, as many coronary events are detected in patients diagnosed with cancer. Diagnosis of an occult digestive cancer in the acute phase of myocardial infarction is most frequently prompted by a hemorrhagic complication.
Case summary: This case features an 81-year-old male patient diagnosed with acute myocardial infarction, treated with primary percutaneous intervention (PCI), who developed post-stenting hemorrhagic complications in the first 24 h due to the presence of two different concomitant malignant neoplasms. The outcome was favorable in the acute phase, even if de-escalation therapy was given immediately post-stenting, and intrastent residual thrombotic risk was high.
Conclusions: The presence of bleeding complications in patients with acute myocardial infarction should mobilize resources in search of a neoplastic cause, especially a digestive one. However, other locations should be looked for, depending on the source of bleeding.
Keywords: digestive hemorrhage; myocardial infarction; neoplasia; rectal cancer.