A Patient with a Massive Single Cardiac Metastasis of Lung Adenocarcinoma, Diagnosed via a Biopsy

Intern Med. 2018 Jun 1;57(11):1637-1640. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.9893-17. Epub 2018 Jan 11.

Abstract

A patient with a history of lung adenocarcinoma was admitted because of palpitation. Transthoracic echocardiogram revealed a mass (74×42 mm) in the right ventricle. Computed tomography showed a tumor lesion in the right ventricular cavity but no other distant metastasis. Coronary angiography revealed well-developed small branches to the tumor. After right heart catheterization, a pathological analysis of a tumor biopsy demonstrated adenocarcinoma. We diagnosed the patient with right ventricular metastasis of lung cancer. With large cardiac metastasis, a tumor biopsy with a right heart catheter may help obtain a pathological diagnosis and also serve as a re-biopsy to confirm the gene mutation status.

Keywords: cardiac metastasis; cardiac tumor; cardio-oncology; lung cancer; re-biopsy.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adenocarcinoma / diagnosis
  • Adenocarcinoma / secondary*
  • Adenocarcinoma of Lung
  • Aged
  • Biopsy
  • Coronary Angiography
  • Heart Neoplasms / diagnosis*
  • Heart Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Heart Ventricles / pathology
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Lung Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Male
  • Tomography, X-Ray Computed