Occult gastric cancer presenting as cor pulmonale resulting from tumor cell microembolism

Am J Gastroenterol. 1997 Jun;92(6):1057-9.

Abstract

Cor pulmonale resulting from tumor emboli is a rare presentation of gastric cancer, and only six similar cases have been reported in the English literature. We report the case of a 37-yr-old woman presenting with dyspnea who died of cor pulmonale. Autopsy revealed signet cell carcinoma of te stomach with intra-abdominal metastasis and right ventricular hypertrophy. There were no macroscopic pulmonary emboli or parenchymal lesions, but more than 60% of the small pulmonary arteries and arterioles were occluded. In most vessels, fibrocellular intimal proliferation was the major finding with only a few entrapped tumor cells.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Neoplasms / secondary
  • Adult
  • Arteries / pathology
  • Arterioles / pathology
  • Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / diagnosis
  • Carcinoma, Signet Ring Cell / secondary*
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Lung / blood supply
  • Lung Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Lung Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Neoplasms, Unknown Primary / diagnosis*
  • Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / pathology*
  • Pulmonary Heart Disease / diagnosis*
  • Stomach Neoplasms / diagnosis*