title: Cardiac metastases and a sudden death as a complication of advanced stage of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma.
abstract: In head and neck squamous cell carcinoma distant metastases are rare and metastases to the heart are extremely rare. In this report we present a patient with a sublingual and laryngeal carcinoma with metastases to lung and heart. Cardiac metastases present with non-specific symptoms that depends on the size and location of the metastases. The ideal tools for diagnosing cardiac metastases are echocardiography and cardiac MRI. CT scan could be used as a screening method of distant metastases in head and neck cancer. The treatment of cardiac metastases is generally ineffective.
authors: University of Zagreb, Zagreb University Hospital Center, Department of Otorhinolaryngology and Head and Neck Surgery, Zagreb, Croatia. mmarjano@kbc-zagreb.hr
authors: Marcel Marjanović
authors: MM
authors: Kavanagh
authors: Sasa
authors: S
authors: Janjanin
authors: Drago
authors: D
authors: Prgomet
mesh_terms: D002294:Carcinoma, Squamous Cell / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D003645:Death, Sudden; D006258:Head and Neck Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000473:pathology*; D006338:Heart Neoplasms / Q000556:secondary*; D006801:Humans; D009362:Neoplasm Metastasis