Abstract
Introduction
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is one of the most common malignant tumors and the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths. HCC is a highly progressive cancer with a high rate of metastasis. Intra-cardiac involvement with HCC is quite rare with a very poor prognosis. Acute pulmonary embolism is a very rare presentation of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) complicated with tumor thrombi into the inferior vena cava (IVC), right atrium (RA) and right ventricle (RV) with very poor reported prognosis.
Case presentation
A 72-years old hepatitis C virus (HCV) positive male patient for 20 years but he didn’t receive any treatment. He was admitted at our medical faculty with decompensated liver failure and resolved hepatic encephalopathy. He started complaining of acute onset of dyspnea. On clinical examination, he was tachypneic, tachycardic with thready pulse, distressed with deep icteric tinge. He had a massive ascites and bilateral lower limb pitting oedema. His electrocardiogram (ECG) showed sinus tachycardia. Urgent transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) revealed a large solid mass extending through the IVC to RA (Figure 1 Panel A) with another highly mobile cauliflower mass at the RV apex occupying the RV cavity, protruding into RA through TV and nearly obliterating RVOT into pulmonary artery. (Figure 1 Panel B, C, D). Due to patient’s frailty and hazards of contrast medium in an already impaired renal status of him, no further contrast study was performed. Only conservative and supportive measures were initiated for the management of his deteriorated general condition but unfortunately, he passed away shortly after.
Conclusion
Cardiac involvement in HCC rarely occurs and usually develops in advanced stages of HCC. The main mechanism of metastasis into the cardiac cavity is through a direct vascular extension of the tumor to the right side via hepatic vein and IVC. Acute pulmonary embolism in the setting of HCC is a quite rare manifestation of HCC that usually occur due to tumor thrombi in the IVC, RA and RV. The reported prognosis of HCC with intra-cardiac involvement is very poor, with a mean survival of 1 to 4 months at the time of diagnosis.
Abstract P230 Figure. TTE of HCC invading RVOT
Cervical Spinal Cord Compression: A Rare Presentation of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
