Rapid extension of left adrenocortical carcinoma into the right atrium.
Adrenocortical carcinoma is a rare tumor which can extend into the right heart via the inferior vena cava. We describe a case of a 26-year-old woman who had progressive shortness of breath, intermittent chest pain, and peripheral edema. A two-dimensional echocardiogram on hospital admission showed a large multinodular mass in the right atrium which extended into the inferior vena cava. Further studies showed that this mass was adrenocortical carcinoma. An echocardiogram performed 3 weeks before admission was completely normal. It appears that an adrenocortical carcinoma is capable of rapid growth up the inferior vena cava and into the right atrium.
Lee
J J
JJ
Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
Kupfer
J
J
Raissi
S
S
Geller
S A
SA
Siegel
R J
RJ
D000306:Adrenal Cortex Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D018268:Adrenocortical Carcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D000328:Adult; D004452:Echocardiography; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000473:pathology; D006801:Humans; D009361:Neoplasm Invasiveness; D014682:Vena Cava, Inferior / Q000473:pathology