title: Rapid extension of left adrenocortical carcinoma into the right atrium.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
authors.forename: J J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kupfer
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raissi
authors.forename: S A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Geller
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Siegel
mesh_terms: 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