This case demonstrates an unusual long-term (5-year) spontaneous remission of malignant pericardial effusion secondary to metastatic breast cancer following a single pericardiocentesis.
Single pericardiocentesis may yield unexpected durable remission in malignant effusion; this case leaves open mechanisms of spontaneous control in metastatic breast cancer.
This is a case report concerning a spontaneous 5-year remission of malignant pericardial effusion secondary to metastatic breast carcinoma. The patient received no specific therapy for the pericardial effusion other than one pericardiocentesis. The authors are unable to explain the failure of recurrence of the pericardial effusion especially in the presence of progressive metastatic breast carcinoma in other areas. A review of the literature has not revealed any case of malignant pericardial effusion secondary to metastatic breast carcinoma surviving 5 years.
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Hirsch et al. (1966) studied this question.
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