title: Metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma to the heart diagnosed antemortem.
abstract: Pancreatic tumors frequently metastasize widely, though it is rare to diagnose pancreatic cardiac metastases in the antemortem state. We report an unusual case of metastatic pancreatic adenocarcinoma to the right atrium. Transesophageal echocardiography showed that the tumor was attached to the superior aspect of the right atrium, prolapsing through and obstructing the tricuspid valve in diastole and retracting back into the right atrium during systole. The tumor was excised, and histologic examination confirmed the presence of moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma with a papillary architectural pattern and with desmoplastic stroma, features comparable to the original primary pancreatic neoplasm.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiology, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA 90048, USA.
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Bowman
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Siegel
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Blanche
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Petrovic
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Dhar
authors.forename: B J
authors.initials: BJ
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kaul
mesh_terms: D000230:Adenocarcinoma / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary*; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D010190:Pancreatic Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*