BMC Cardiovascular Disorders (Sep 2023)

Acute myocardial infarction due to coronary embolism caused by a metastatic mass from lung cancer

  • Yingli Zhao,
  • Meijiao Mao,
  • Na Zhang,
  • Shuai Zhang,
  • Wangkang Niku,
  • Ling Zhu,
  • Xiujuan Shi,
  • Zhaoyi Yang,
  • Yanwen Wang,
  • Bing Deng,
  • Wang Zheng

DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-023-03505-3
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 1
pp. 1 – 5

Abstract

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Abstract Background Acute arterial embolism due to tumor embolus is a rare complication in cancer patients, even rarer is lung tumor embolization leading to acute myocardial infarction. We report a patient who had a diagnosis of acute myocardial infarction(AMI)which was brought on by a coronary artery embolism by a metastatic lung cancer tumor. Clinicians need to be aware that tumor embolism can result in AMI. Case presentation An 80-yeal-old male patient presented with persistent chest pain for 2 h and his electrocardiogram(ECG)showed anterior ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. Instead of implanting a stent, thrombus aspiration was performed. Pathological examination of coronary artery thrombosis showed that a few sporadic atypical epithelial cells were scattered in the thrombus-like tissue. Combined with immune phenotype and clinical history, metastatic squamous cell carcinoma is more likely. Conclusions We report a rare case of a patient who was diagnosed of AMI due to a coronary artery embolism by a metastatic mass from lung cancer. Since there is no evidence-based protocol available for the treatment of isolated coronary thrombosis, we used thrombus aspiration to treat thrombosis rather than implanting a stent.

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