Acute Myocardial Infarction Due to Coronary Occlusion Caused by a Metastatic Cardiac Tumor Arising from Squamous Cell Lung Cancer: An Evaluation with Three-dimensional Transthoracic Echocardiography

Intern Med. 2022 Feb 1;61(3):345-350. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.7580-21. Epub 2021 Jul 10.

Abstract

A 60-year-old man developed acute myocardial infarction from the total occlusion of the right coronary artery via metastatic squamous lung cancer and was treated with percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). Computed tomography and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed a metastatic tumor, and three-dimensional TTE was useful for determining the size and location of the tumor in relation to the coronary artery. Six months after PCI, the patient died, and an autopsy confirmed extensive metastasis to the heart and nearby vessels as detected by three-dimensional TTE. Although rare, lung cancer metastasis to the heart may directly occlude the coronary artery.

Keywords: acute myocardial infarction; cardiac metastasis; coronary occlusion; lung cancer.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Carcinoma, Squamous Cell* / diagnostic imaging
  • Coronary Occlusion* / diagnostic imaging
  • Coronary Occlusion* / etiology
  • Echocardiography
  • Epithelial Cells
  • Heart Neoplasms* / complications
  • Heart Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
  • Humans
  • Lung Neoplasms* / diagnostic imaging
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Myocardial Infarction* / diagnostic imaging
  • Myocardial Infarction* / etiology
  • Percutaneous Coronary Intervention*