Metastatic carcinomas involving the heart. Review of postmortem examination.

Abstract

This article deals with metastatic involvement of the heart and is based on autopsy material of the Institute of Pathology, Medical Faculty of the University of Zagreb, from the beginning of 1983 through June 1988. The incidence of heart metastases of carcinomas originating from various sites as well as positions of the tumor within the heart were considered. Heart metastases were recorded from 39 of 477 malignant neoplasms of epithelial origin, which made an incidence of 8.2%. Pericardium and myocardium were equally involved. Pericardial involvement occurred mostly as diffuse carcinosis, whereas the myocardium was involved most frequently on the left side. Metastases from primary lung carcinoma affected the heart in 7.4% of all cases and from carcinoma of the female genital tract in 7%. Great attention is deserved by primary carcinomas of the tongue and sublingual region which involved the heart in 23.7% of all cases. No similar data were found in the available reference.