Superior Vena Cava as Gateway to Heart: Metastatic Breast Carcinoma Causing Ball in a Loop Metastasis to Right Atrium
Published: July 1, 2017 | DOI: https://doi.org/10.7860/JCDR/2017/26388.10183
Harpreet Singh Sandhu, Sampath kumar Mahadevappa Mahendrakar, Sulaiman Sadruddin Ladhani, Azizullah Hafizullah Khan, Yunus Shafi Loya
1. FNB Critical Care Medicine Trainee, Department of Intensive care, Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Nesbit road, Mazgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
2. Intensivist, Department of Intensive care, Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Nesbit road, Mazgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
3. Consulting Physician, Department of Pulmonary Medicine, Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Nesbit road, Mazgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
4. ICU Director, Department of Intensive care, Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Nesbit road, Mazgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
5. Consulting Cardiologist, Department of Cardiology, Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Nesbit road, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India.
Correspondence
Dr. Harpreet Singh Sandhu,
Department of Intensive care, Prince Aly Khan Hospital, Nesbit road, Mazgaon, Mumbai, Maharashtra-400010, India.
E-mail: itallionstallion17@gmail.com
Breast carcinoma is the most common invasive cancer in women worldwide. It metastasizes commonly to bone, lungs, regional lymph nodes and brain. Cardiac metastasis of lung and breast cancers is a known but rare complication of advanced disease with tumour metastasising to pericardium via the locoregional lymphatic system. Here we present a case of 59-year-old female presenting with right upper limb oedema, facial puffiness and features of Superior Vena Cava (SVC) syndrome 15 years after mastectomy and adjuvant chemotherapy, radiotherapy for carcinoma of the right breast. Further evaluation revealed extensive thrombus invading the right internal jugular vein, subclavian vein, SVC with intraluminal extension into right atrium causing ball in a loop obstruction at tricuspid valve. Whole body Positron emission tomography scan confirmed the diagnosis of extensive metastatic disease and patient was managed on palliative therapy. Haematogenous spread and intraluminal growth of metastatic deposits from breast carcinoma 15 years ago is rare and clinical presentation as SVC obstruction has not been reported in our review of literature.
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