We describe a man who presented at our institution with tachyarrhythmia and dyspnea. Echocardiography, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and computed tomography (CT) of the chest performed during hospitalization revealed a mass within the left atrium. A biopsy of the mass showed a non-small-cell lung cancer, adenocarcinoma G3. Metastatic involvement of the heart is rare; most cases are asymptomatic and diagnosed only during autopsies. Echocardiography, CT scan and MRI are complementary investigations in the evaluation of cardiac lesions. In the setting of cardiac metastatic cancer, all management is palliative.
Keywords: heart; lung cancer; metastasis.
© 2011 Tianjin Lung Cancer Institute and Blackwell Publishing Asia Pty. Ltd.