Successfully Resected Cardiac Metastatic Melanoma in a Lifesaving Cardiac Surgery: A Case Report

Authors

  • Petar Vukicevic, MD, PhD Department for Cardiac Surgery, Military Medical Academy, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Milos Matkovic, MD Department for Cardiac Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Ivan Markovic, MD, PhD Clinic of Surgical Oncology, Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Aleksandar Mikic, MD, PhD Department for Cardiac Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Svetozar Putnik, MD, PhD Department for Cardiac Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Vesna Bozic, MD Department for Cardiovascular pathology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Nemanja Aleksic, MD Department for Cardiac Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Vladimir Cvetic, MD Department for Radiology, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Vladimir Tutus, MD Department for Cardiac Surgery, Clinical Center of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia
  • Radan Dzodic, MD, PhD Clinic of Surgical Oncology, Institute of Oncology and Radiology of Serbia, Belgrade, Serbia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1532/hsf.3097

Keywords:

cardiac melanoma, emergency surgery, cardiac surgery

Abstract

Introduction: Metastatic tumors are the most frequent tumors of the heart with the melanoma metastasis being the most frequent. In cases of a cardiac tamponade or a low cardiac output syndrome due to the position of the tumor it could lead to an acute life-threatening condition for the patient.

Case report: We present a case of a successfully treated metastatic cardiac melanoma in a lifesaving cardiac surgery. A 42-year-old woman was admitted to the emergency department of the Clinical Center of Serbia in a critical state with signs of tricuspid orifice obstruction with a tumor mass. Her previous medical history showed that she had an adequate surgical excision of the melanoma in the right lumbar region at the age of 39. An emergency cardiac surgery was performed with the resection of the tumor and the atrial wall. The postoperative course was uneventful and a HP exam once again confirmed the same type of melanoma as previously diagnosed. The patient was alive and well on follow-up exams for 4 months when she was diagnosed with metastatic tumor masses in the pelvis with ascites and melanosis of the entire skin followed by lethal outcome 5 months after the cardiac surgery.

Conclusion: Surgical resection of metastatic cardiac melanoma can be safe and effective in an emergency scenario, especially in the case of solitary metastasis. It can be performed with excellent results and very few postoperative complications. However, due to the nature of the principal disease, the long-term survival rate remains low, giving the surgery a place in palliative treatment.

References

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Published

2020-07-24

How to Cite

Vukicevic, P., Matkovic, M., Markovic, I., Mikic, A. ., Putnik, S., Bozic, V., Aleksic, N., Cvetic, V., Tutus, V., & Dzodic, R. (2020). Successfully Resected Cardiac Metastatic Melanoma in a Lifesaving Cardiac Surgery: A Case Report. The Heart Surgery Forum, 23(4), E527-E530. https://doi.org/10.1532/hsf.3097

Issue

Vol. 23 No. 4 (2020)

Section

Article
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