Silent Neoplastic Cardiac Invasion in Small Cell Lung Cancer: A Case Report and Review of the Literature

Patient: Female, 66 Final Diagnosis: Small cell lung cancer Symptoms: Impaired memory Medication: — Clinical Procedure: Chest X-ray • computed tomography • magnetic resonance imaging • electrocardiogram Specialty: Oncology OBJECTIVE: Rare co-existance of disease or pathology BACKGROUND: Secondary malignant tumor of the heart is one of the most life-threatening complications of lung cancer. Several published case reports have documented non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients with neoplastic cardiac invasion. However, the number of reported cases of small cell lung cancer (SCLC) with neoplastic cardiac invasion is limited. CASE REPORT: We present a rare case of advanced SCLC in a patient with asymptomatic neoplastic cardiac invasion. We also discuss radiation therapy modalities that should be considered in SCLC patients with cardiac invasion. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should be vigilant about cases of SCLC with asymptomatic intra-cardiac invasion and practice caution when diagnosing, as well as treating with radiation as a monotherapy.