Case report Removal of the left atrium and left ventricle tumour: a case report Stanisław Ostrowski1, Anna Marcinkiewicz2, Anna Kośmider3, Witold Pawłowski1, Alicja Nowakowska3, Ryszard Jaszewski1 1Department of Cardiac Surgery, 1st Chair of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery, Medical University of Lodz, Poland 2Medical student of 5th year, Medical University of Lodz, Poland 3Military Teaching Hospital – Veterans Central Hospital, Medical University of Lodz, Poland Submitted: 28 October 2010 Accepted: 13 March 2011 Arch Med Sci 2011; 7, 5: 909-913 DOI: 10.5114/aoms.2011.25571 Copyright © 2011 Termedia & Banach A b s t r a c t The heart is the rarest site for neoplasms to be localized. Despite modern diagnostic techniques, cardiac tumours continue to among those discovered latest and with the worst prognoses. We present the case of a 62-year-old woman with a heart tumour and mediastinal lymphadenopathy, who was admitted to the Department of Cardiac Surgery. The patient underwent surgical removal of the tumour with extracorporeal circulation. The left atrium, mitral valve and the left ventricle were occupied by the infiltration. A radical resection appeared to be impossible. A valvular prosthesis was not implanted. The perioperative period was uncomplicated. On the 9th day a local recurrence was confirmed in the transthoracic echocardiography. Further oncological diagnostics revealed the spread of the malignant neoplasm to bones of the pelvis and spine. Chemotherapy was initiated. The authors discuss the most appropriate diagnostic and treatment procedures employed in the above case. Key words: heart tumour, lymphadenopathy, radical resection. Introduction Although secondary cardiac tumours occur 20-40 times more frequently than primary ones [1], only 5% of them are localized in the cardiac muscle [2]. Lung cancer is the most common origin (27%). As common the heart is involved in the course of breast cancer, lymphomas, leukaemias (10% in each case) and also in oesophagus cancer (6%), uterus cancer (5%) or malignant melanoma (5%) [3]. Cardiac metastases are generally small and remain clinically silent, especially in the initial period. In the literature there is only a single case of a huge metastasis reported [4, 5]. Primary cardiac tumours are claimed as a rarity. Their occurrence is estimated at 0.001-0.3% [6]. Sarcomas are the most common primary malignant heart tumours and if their prevalence is considered they are only less frequent than myxomas [7, 8]. In the author’s opinion, the following case provides an interesting example of the pathogenesis and diagnosis of the above issues raised, from both the cardiological and cardiosurgical as well as the oncological point of view. Corresponding author: Stanisław Ostrowski MD, PhD Department of Cardiac Surgery 1st Chair of Cardiology and Cardiac Surgery Medical University of Lodz 1/3 Sterlinga Lodz, Poland Phone/fax: +48 42 633 15 58 E-mail: stanislaw.ostrowski@ umed.lodz.pl