Key result
Multimodal cardiac imaging identifies a rare left ventricular metastasis causing acute ischemic stroke in lung cancer.
Why the study?
Cardiac metastasis is a rare but important and underrecognized cause of cardioembolic stroke in patients with active cancer, requiring multimodal cardiac imaging for diagnosis.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Cardiac metastasis should be considered as a rare but important source of cardioembolic stroke in patients with active cancer, emphasizing the value of multimodal cardiac imaging.
Acute ischemic stroke requires prompt identification of the underlying mechanism to guide treatment and secondary prevention. Although common causes account for most cases, occasionally the diagnostic work-up reveals an unexpected cardioembolic source. We report the case of a woman in her 50s with stage IVB non-small cell lung carcinoma who was admitted with presyncope, acute disorientation, and dysarthria, followed by anomia and right-sided neurological deficits. Brain magnetic resonance imaging revealed multiple acute ischemic infarcts in the left middle cerebral artery territory. Cardiac imaging identified a left ventricular mass highly suggestive of cardiac metastasis, considering the probable source of cerebral embolism. Despite treatment, her condition progressively deteriorated, and she died one year later. This case highlights cardiac metastasis as a rare but important cause of cardioembolic stroke in patients with active cancer and emphasizes the value of multimodal cardiac imaging in identifying unusual embolic sources.
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Paulo et al. (2026) conducted a case report in Acute ischemic stroke secondary to cardiac metastasis from non-small cell lung carcinoma (n=1). Cardiac metastasis was evaluated on Clinical outcome (mortality). Multimodal cardiac imaging identified a left ventricular cardiac metastasis as a rare hidden cardioembolic source of acute ischemic stroke in a patient with active lung cancer.
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