Unusual cardiac metastasis from oral squamous cell carcinoma: a case report and literature review

OBJECTIVES To report a case of cardiac metastasis from oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) and to provide a literature review of this rare metastatic presentation. METHODS This study consisted of a case report and a narrative literature review. The authors reported a patient who presented with cardiac metastasis from OSCC. The review included demographic, clinical, therapeutic, and prognostic outcomes of interest. Data were extracted from PubMed and Google Scholar up to December 31, 2025. RESULTS A Caucasian 70-year-old man with locally advanced tongue OSCC treated with concurrent chemoradiotherapy presented with pericardial and left pleural effusions. Histopathological examination confirmed cardiac metastasis involving the right ventricle. Despite systemic chemotherapy and immunotherapy, the patient died two months after the diagnosis of cardiac metastasis. The literature review identified 29 articles reporting 70 similar cases. Considering those 71 cases, (including the patient we managed), the tongue was the most common primary tumor site (76%). Most patients were middle-aged male smokers (61%) and alcohol users (45%). Cardiac metastases developed a median of 10 months (range 1-120 months) after the diagnosis of OSCC. Despite treatment, disease progression occurred in 91% of cases. Almost all patients (94%) were dead at last follow-up. Overall, outcomes were uniformly poor, with a median survival of one month (range 0-14), after cardiac metastasis diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS This study describes the clinicopathological characteristics of a patient with cardiac metastasis from OSCC and summarizes its case with the findings from the 70 previously reported cases.