Cardiac lipoma in a patient with a history of malignant tumours: a case report

Bjoern Kitzing

doi:10.1186/1757-1626-1-41

Abstract

Cardiac tumours are relatively rare. Most of them do not cause clinical symptoms so that prior to the introduction of modern methods of investigation they were predominately incidental findings during autopsies or open heart surgery.We present the case of a 63-year-old German man with a past history of malignant melanoma and renal cell carcinoma who presented with a right atrial lipoma and a suspicious lesion in the right lower lobe of the lung. Surgical excision of the cardiac lipoma was performed and a biopsy of the lung mass was done which diagnosed a moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma.

Highlights

This is a rare case of a patient with a right atrial lipoma on a background of multiple malignant tumours who was admitted to hospital for excision of same
A 63-year-old German man with a long past history of tumours was admitted to hospital. 20 years ago a malignant melanoma had been diagnosed on his right loin and radical excision performed
After some time the patient developed haematuria whereupon renal cell carcinoma was diagnosed in the right kidney and a metastasis of the melanoma was found in the left kidney

Summary

Introduction

This is a rare case of a patient with a right atrial lipoma on a background of multiple malignant tumours who was admitted to hospital for excision of same. Two computer tomography examinations of the chest (fig 1) were performed but could not conclusively rule out the possibility of metastasis. It was diagnosed initially as an inflammatory process of the lung. When the shadow failed to change with time further investigations were ordered This was when a tumour in the right atrium was discovered which was neither haemodynamically nor clinically relevant. Magnetic resonance imaging of the chest showed a spherical tumour (28 × 27 × 20 mm) attached to the wall of the right atrium. SaFteirgleiauclrtleiapxo1imalaimage of computed tomography showing a right Select axial image of computed tomography showing a right atrial lipoma

Conclusion

Maurer ER