A case of cardiac tamponade due to malignant pericarditis with lung adenocarcinoma, effectively treated with pericardial drainage and pemetrexed plus cisplatin chemotherapy

A 68-year-old man was diagnosed with non small cell lung cancer in May 2013. Although the patient was negative for EGFR mutation, he wished to undergo treatment with gefitinib and erlotinib as first-line therapy. However, one year later, he was admitted to our hospital because of cardiac tamponade due to malignant pericarditis. He received pericardial drainage, after which his condition was stabilized. He was diagnosed with lung adenocarcinoma by cytology of pericardial effusion and treated with pemetrexed plus cisplatin as second-line therapy. Thereafter, the malignant effusion was decreased and the primary lesion was regressed. He received six courses of chemotherapy, however, brain metastases and bone metastases appeared. The brain metastases were controlled with gamma knife radiosurgery and he received carboptatin-paclitaxel plus bevacizumab as third-line therapy. The patient is currently receiving chemotherapy without any recurrence of malignant pericarditis or cardiac tamponade.