title: Isolated right atrial metastasis of malignant melanoma mimicking a myxoma.
abstract: Malignant melanoma is the malignancy with the highest propensity for cardiac metastasis. Metastasis to the heart usually occurs in the setting of disseminated disease and is therefore commonly associated with a poor prognosis. We report the case of a 51-year-old woman with a previous history of cutaneous malignant melanoma who presented with a symptomatic, isolated right atrial metastasis attached via a narrow stalk to the interatrial septum, thus resembling a myxoma. The lesion was completely resected, rendering the patient symptom and, potentially, disease-free. The case illustrates the importance of cardiac evaluation in the management of patients with melanoma.
authors.affiliation: American Heart Institute, Nicosia, Cyprus. ltkon@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Loizos
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kontozis
authors.forename: Marinos
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Soteriou
authors.forename: Demetris
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Papamichael
authors.forename: Constantinos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Economides
authors.forename: Evis
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Bagdades
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Christou
authors.forename: Christina
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Oxynou
mesh_terms: D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal; D005260:Female; D006325:Heart Atria / Q000473:pathology; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D006801:Humans; D008545:Melanoma / Q000556:secondary* / Q000601:surgery; D008875:Middle Aged; D009232:Myxoma / Q000175:diagnosis*; D012878:Skin Neoplasms / Q000473:pathology* / Q000601:surgery