Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma Metastasizing to the Heart: A Case Report from Taiwan

Jhe-Yuan Hsu,1 Hsuan-Yu Lin,2 Yuan-Po Yang3– 5 1Division of General Practice, Department of Medical Education, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan; 2Division of Hematology/Oncology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan; 3Department of Cardiology, Changhua Christian Hospital, Changhua, Taiwan; 4Ph.D Program in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, National Chung Hsing University and National Health Research Institutes, Taichung, Taiwan; 5Institute of Biomedical Engineering and Nanomedicine, National Health Research Institutes, Miaoli, TaiwanCorrespondence: Yuan-Po Yang, Department of Cardiology, Changhua Christian Hospital, No. 135, St. Nan-xiao, Chang-Hua City, 500209, Taiwan, Tel +886-917-153-130, Fax +886 04-7232942, Email yuanpo@gmail.comBackground: The most common sites for metastasis from head and neck cancers are the lungs, bones, and liver. We present a rare case of squamous cell carcinoma of the buccal mucosa that metastasized to the right ventricle, pericardium, and bilateral lungs.Methods: A 61-year-old man with oral squamous cell carcinoma (cT4aN2cM0) exhibited mass-like echogenicity adhering to the right ventricular free wall that was accidentally discovered after concurrent chemoradiotherapy. A biopsy of the mass confirmed the oral origin of the metastasis.Results: The patient received palliative care and died 1 month after being diagnosed with cardiac involvement.Conclusion: Cardiac involvement is often not assessed because of its low prevalence. Cardiac metastasis should be considered in patients with malignancies presenting with nonspecific cardiac symptoms.Keywords: heart, metastasis, squamous cell carcinoma, head and neck cancer, biopsy