Brain metastasis of cardiac myxoma: case report and review of the literature

J Neurooncol. 2005 Nov;75(2):181-4. doi: 10.1007/s11060-005-1859-7.

Abstract

Cardiac myxoma is the most common benign heart tumor. Cardiac myxoma can be a sporadic lesion (93% of cases) and usually occurs in women over 30 years. Complete surgical removal of the myxoma and its cardiac attachment is usually curative. The frequency of recurrences in cardiac myxomas varies between 3% for sporadic cases and 22% for cases of Carney complex. Recurrence has been related to incomplete excision, multifocality, and embolism of tumor fragments. We report a case with multiple brain metastases presumably due to tumor embolization from previously operated cardiac myxoma.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Review

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Brain Neoplasms / diagnosis
  • Brain Neoplasms / pathology
  • Brain Neoplasms / radiotherapy
  • Brain Neoplasms / secondary*
  • Brain Neoplasms / surgery
  • Cerebellum / pathology
  • Female
  • Follow-Up Studies
  • Heart Neoplasms / pathology*
  • Heart Neoplasms / surgery
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Myxoma / pathology*
  • Myxoma / surgery
  • Telencephalon / pathology
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome