RT Book, Section
A1 Kiefer, Todd
A1 Granger, Christopher B.
A1 Jackson, Kevin P.
A2 Papadakis, Maxine A.
A2 McPhee, Stephen J.
A2 Rabow, Michael W.
A2 McQuaid, Kenneth R.
SR Print(0)
ID 1193148411
T1 Secondary Cardiac Tumors
T2 Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2023
YR 2023
FD 2023
PB McGraw-Hill Education
PP New York, NY
SN 9781264687343
LK accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1193148411
RD 2024/10/04
AB Metastases  from  malignant  tumors  can  also  affect  the  heart.  Most  often  this  occurs  in  malignant  melanoma,  but  other  tumors  that  are  known  to  metastasize  to  the  heart  include  bronchogenic  carcinoma;  carcinoma  of  the  breast;  lymphoma;  renal  cell  carcinoma;  sarcomas;  and,  in  patients  with  AIDS,  Kaposi  sarcoma.  These  are  often  clinically  silent  but  may  lead  to  pericardial  tamponade,  arrhythmias  and  conduction  disturbances,  heart  failure,  and  peripheral  emboli.  The  ECG  may  reveal  regional  Q  waves.  The  diagnosis  is  often  made  by  echocardiography,  but  cardiac  MRI  and  CT  scanning  can  often  better  delineate  the  extent  of  involvement.  Metastatic  tumors,  especially  lung  or  breast,  may  invade  the  pericardium  and  result  in  very  large  pericardial  effusions  as  they  result  in  slow  accumulation  of  fluid.  The  prognosis  is  poor  for  all  secondary  cardiac  tumors  and  treatment  is  generally  palliative.  On  occasion,  surgical  resection  for  debulking  or  removal  and  chemotherapy  may  be  effective  in  relieving  symptoms.