Case Reports in Oncology (May 2011)

Circulating Tumor Cells and Cardiac Metastasis from Esophageal Cancer: A Case Report

  • Francesca Consoli,
  • Giuseppina Arcangeli,
  • Vittorio Ferrari,
  • Salvatore Grisanti,
  • Camillo Almici,
  • Tania Bordonali,
  • Edda Simoncini

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1159/000329021
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 4, no. 2
pp. 299 – 303

Abstract

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We report the case of a 67-year-old man affected by metastatic esophageal cancer. The patient developed a symptomatic heart metastasis presenting as mimicking ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) documented the presence of a mass in the apex and septum of the left ventriculum. The dissemination of cancer was confirmed by the detection of circulating tumor cells (CTCs) in the peripheral blood, measured by the CellSearch System (Veridex, LLC, Raritan, N.J., USA). The blood sample drawn at cardiac disease progression revealed the presence of 2 CTCs per 7.5 ml of blood. This report highlights the potential role of CTCs as markers of metastatic spread.

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