title: Cardiac metastases.
abstract: We report a case of esophageal cancer with symptomatic metastases to the heart; the patient was treated with short-course radiotherapy with good symptomatic relief. We reviewed the current literature regarding the epidemiology, clinical presentation, diagnostic tools, treatment modalities, and the prognosis of cardiac metastases. In this report we summarize the most recent autopsy studies (published between 1975 and 2007), in which we found an autopsy incidence of cardiac metastases of 2.3% among the general population, while the incidence among autopsies of cancer patients was 7.1%. Therefore, we share the opinion with others that there has been an increase in the incidence of cardiac metastases among cancer patients diagnosed after 1970, in comparison with the reported incidences in older series before 1970 (7.1% vs 3.8%; Kruskal-Wallis rank test; P = 0.039). Special attention was given to the role of radiotherapy in the management of cardiac metastases.
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiation Oncology, Erasmus MC-Daniel den Hoed Cancer Center, Groene Hilledijk 301, Rotterdam, The Netherlands. a.al-mamgani@erasmusmc.nl
authors.forename: Abrahim
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Al-Mamgani
authors.forename: Lizette
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Baartman
authors.forename: Margreet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baaijens
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: de Pree
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Incrocci
authors.forename: Peter C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: Levendag
mesh_terms: D002277:Carcinoma / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D004938:Esophageal Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010166:Palliative Care