Key result
Palliative resection of a huge right ventricular metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma mass in a 74-year-old woman was followed by tumor recurrence at 1 month and death at 4 months.
Why the study?
Isolated right ventricular intracavitary metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma is rare and surgical indications in metastatic cardiac tumors remain unclear.
Case Report (n=1)
This case report highlights the poor prognosis and limited surgical indication for patients with metastatic cardiac tumors, specifically isolated right ventricular intracavitary metastasis of HCC.
Reinforces caution on palliative resection for isolated right ventricular HCC metastasis; leaves open whether any intervention improves outcomes in this rare setting.
A 74-year-old woman with a history of chronic hepatitis C and transcatheter arterial chemoembolization for an unresectable hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) 2 years previously presented with progressive exertional dyspnea of 1 month's duration. Two-dimensional echocardiography revealed a huge right ventricular mass with right atrial and right ventricular outflow tract extension. Palliative resection of the tumor and adjunctive chemotherapy was performed. However, the right ventricular mass recurred 1 month later and the patient died 4 months after the operation. To our knowledge, this is the oldest patient reported with isolated right ventricular intracavitary metastasis of HCC, and this report reemphasizes the lower surgical indication in patients with metastatic cardiac tumors.
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Kan et al. (2008) conducted a case report in Isolated right ventricular intracavitary metastasis of hepatocellular carcinoma (n=1). Palliative resection of the tumor and adjunctive chemotherapy was evaluated on Clinical outcome (tumor recurrence and survival). Palliative resection of a huge right ventricular metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma mass in a 74-year-old woman was followed by tumor recurrence at 1 month and death at 4 months.
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