title: Metastatic tumor thrombus attached to a pacemaker electrode.
abstract: We present a patient with a large tumor embolus attached to a pacemaker electrode leading to multiple pulmonary emboli. At postmortem examination, this thrombus was composed of clusters of well-differentiated squamous cell carcinoma intermingled with fibrin. Tumor involvement was not evident in the myocardium, endocardium, or epicardium. The primary tumor was discovered in the lower intrathoracic esophagus. Tumor microemboli from the esophageal primary lesions may have accumulated around the pacemaker electrode due to turbulent flow in this region, producing a large and friable tumor embolus.
authors.affiliation: Third Department of Internal Medicine, Fukui Medical School, Japan.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Tada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Asazuma
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Naiki
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nakai
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nakakuki
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000473:pathology* / Q000556:secondary; D004567:Electrodes, Implanted; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology; D017809:Fatal Outcome; D005337:Fibrin / Q000032:analysis; D018056:Hemorheology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009360:Neoplastic Cells, Circulating / Q000473:pathology*; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology
chemical_list: D005337:Fibrin