Secondary heart tumors

Malignant melanoma metastasizing to the heart

This is metastatic heart disease:

• no tumor (except malignant melanoma) metastasizes exclusively to the heart,
• cardiac metastases: malignant melanoma, bronchogenic carcinoma, breast carcinoma,
• clinically: acute pericarditis, cardiac tamponade, rapid enlargement of the heart shadow, arrhythmias incl. atrioventricular block, rapid development of heart failure (but 90% of clinically silent metastases),
• therapy: palliation: pericardiocentesis in effusion, radiotherapy, chemotherapy.

Links

References

• KLENER, P. Vnitřní lékařství. 3. edition. Galén, 2006. ISBN 80-7262-430-X.