Author/Authors :
Shafiq, Ali Aurora Cardiovascular Services - Aurora Sinai/Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Centers, Milwaukee, WI, USA , Samad, Fatima Aurora Cardiovascular Services - Aurora Sinai/Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Centers, Milwaukee, WI, USA , Roberts, Eric Aurora Cardiovascular Services - Aurora Sinai/Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Centers, Milwaukee, WI, USA , Levin, Jonathan BayCare Clinic Radiology - BayCare Health System, Green Bay, WI, USA , Nawaz, Ubaid Department of Hematology and Oncology - Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic - Aurora BayCare Medical Center, Green Bay, WI, USA , Jamil Tajik, A. Aurora Cardiovascular Services - Aurora Sinai/Aurora St. Luke’s Medical Centers, Milwaukee, WI, USA
Abstract :
This is a case of a 43-year-old man who in 2014 was diagnosed with oral squamous cell carcinoma involving the tongue. He
underwent extensive surgery that involved right tongue cancer resection and reconstruction with a free flap graft from his right
forearm. He then was started on chemotherapy and radiation. Surveillance computed tomography in December 2016 showed a
cardiac lesion in the left ventricular apex, which was confirmed by further echocardiography and cardiac magnetic resonance
imaging. A biopsy of the mass revealed metastatic squamous cell carcinoma. He was deemed to not be a surgical candidate and
continued on palliative chemotherapy. The patient had a very poor prognosis and eventually succumbed to the disease,
highlighting the importance of surveillance imaging in such cases. A high index of suspicion on the part of the physician is
needed to help in the early identification of these patients.
