Table 1.
Previous Cases of Metastasis to the Heart from Head and Neck Cancers That Were Diagnosed Before Death
| Patient | Year of Publication | Study | Age | Sex | History of Smoking | Primary Site | Primary Site Staging | Treatment of the Primary Tumor | Location of Metastasis | Symptoms and Signs |
| 1 | 1985 | Werbel et al7 | 61 | F | 40 pack years | Tongue | T2N0M0 | OP | Right atrium | Cardiac murmur; chest pain |
| 2 | 1999 | Rivkin et al8 | 57 | M | Not mentioned | Right base of the tongue | T1N0M0 | OP; R/T | Right ventricle | Chest pain; edema; pericardial effusion |
| 3 | 2002 | Schwender et al9 | 73 | F | Not mentioned | Buccal mucosa | T4N0M0 | C/T; R/T | Pericardium; both lungs; thyroid | Weakness; lightheadedness; shortness of breath |
| 4 | 2012 | Nagata et al10 (case 1) | 59 | M | No history | Tongue | T2N1M0 | C/T; R/T; OP | Left atrium | Fever; pericardial effusion |
| 5 | 2012 | Nagata et al10 (case 2) | 69 | M | Had history | Soft palatal mucosa | T2N1M0 | C/T; R/T; OP | Right atrium and ventricle; lung | None |
| 6 | 2012 | Onwuchekwa et al11 (case 1) | 45 | F | Not mentioned | Tongue | N/A | OP | Interventricular septum; left ventricle; lung; bone | Syncopal episode; pulmonary emboli |
| 7 | 2012 | Onwuchekwa et al11 (case 2) | 36 | F | Not mentioned | Tongue | N/A | C/T; OP | Left ventricle; right ventricle; neck; vertebrae; intramuscular areas | Palpitations; shortness of breath; pleural effusion |
| 8 | 2016 | Martell et al12 | 62 | M | Non-smoking | Right retromolar trigone | cT2N2bM0 / pT4aN1 | OP; C/T; R/T | Right ventricle | Shortness of breath; pericardial effusion; congestive heart failure |
| 9 | 2018 | Patel et al13 | Middle-aged | F | Not mentioned | Lower oral cavity; tongue | N/A | OP; C/T | Right ventricle | Chest pain; dyspnea with exertion |
| 10 | 2019 | Tandon et al14 | 25 | F | Scant history | Tongue | N/A | OP | Oropharynx; lung; left ventricle; right trapezius muscle; left adrenal gland | Pain in chest and right shoulder; dyspnea on exertion; weight loss |
| 11 | 2021 | Hsu et al | 61 | M | Had history | Left buccomasseteric/masticatory space | cT4aN2cM0 | C/T | Right ventricle; pericardium; bilateral lungs | Chest pain; malaise; pericardial effusion |
| Patient | Electrocardiogram Finding | Tool to Determine Cardiac Metastasis | Biopsy | Treatment for the Cardiac Metastasis | Prognosis | Follow-Up Period | ||||
| 1 | ST depression with T-wave inversion anteriorly | Echocardiography | Modified right-sided Chamberlain procedure | OP; R/T | Dead | Seven weeks after surgery | ||||
| 2 | ST-elevation; AF; Q-wave | Cardiac MRI | Fluoroscopic guidance of myocardial biopsy | C/T | Dead | Several months | ||||
| 3 | AF with RVR | Echocardiography | CT-guided biopsy | None | Dead | N/A | ||||
| 4 | Normal | Chest CT; echocardiography | OP | OP | Dead | Three weeks after surgery for cardiac metastasis | ||||
| 5 | RBBB; borderline Q-wave | Chest CT | None | None | Dead | Three weeks | ||||
| 6 | N/A | Echocardiography | None | None | N/A | N/A | ||||
| 7 | ST-elevation in the anterolateral leads; AF with RVR | Echocardiography | None | R/T; C/T | Dead | Two months | ||||
| 8 | Borderline Q-wave | Chest CT | Via right heart catheterization through the right internal jugular vein under transthoracic echocardiogram guidance | None | Dead | Two months | ||||
| 9 | RBBB; ST-elevation | Chest CTA | Intracardiac echocardiography-guided endomyocardial biopsy | C/T | Dead | Few weeks | ||||
| 10 | ST-elevation | TTE | None | None (hospice) | N/A | N/A | ||||
| 11 | AF with RVR; RBBB; ST-elevation | Echocardiography | Fluoroscopic guidance of myocardial biopsy | None (hospice) | Dead | One month | ||||
Abbreviations: AF, atrial fibrillation; C/T, chemotherapy; CT, computed tomography; CTA, computed tomography angiography; F, female; M, male; MRI, magnetic resonance imaging; N/A, not available; OP, operation; RBBB, right bundle branch block; R/T, radiotherapy; RVR, rapid ventricular response; TTE, transthoracic echocardiogram.