Clinical Characteristics of 4 Cases with Recurrent Cervical Cancer Showing Cardiac Metastasis

Yang, Su Chin; Lee, Jong Seong; Kyu, Lee Jae; Ryu, Sang Young; Kim, Jong Hoon; Kim, Byoung Gie; Park, Sang Yoon; Lee, Eui Don; Lee, Kyung Hee

Abstract

BACKGROUND: The presence of cardiac metastasis from cervical cancer is very rare. Due to the rarity of this condition, clinical characteristics of the patients with cardiac metastasis from cervical carcinoma is not well known. This study is to investigate the clinical profiles and outcomes of patients with cardiac metastasis from the carcinoma of the uterine cervix.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
From Jan. 1990 to May 1999, 4 patients with cardiac metastasis from cervical cancer during the course of the disease were registered in Korea Cancer Center Hospital. The clinical characteristics of these patients were reviewed retrospectively.
RESULTS
Mean age of patients was 49 years, and median interval from initial diagnosis to recurrence was 27 months. Histologically, all 4 cases were squamous cell type carcinoma. The stage distribution is two patients with FIGO stage II, one with stage I and one with stage III. Clinical symptoms of patients were dyspnea and facial edema in 2 patients, facial edema in one patients, and dyspneas only in one patient. All patients were confirmed histologically by pericardiocentesis. Synchronous metastatic lesions were supraclavicular lymph node, lung parenchyme and paraaortic, mediastinal lymph node. Following pericardiocentesis or pericardiodesis, all patients were improved clinically and survived for mean interval of 5.3 months.
CONCLUSIONS
The patients with pericardial metastasis from cervical carcinoma showed a short survival time, but could be managed by pericardiocentesis or pericardiodesis with improvement of clinical symptoms.