Cardiac metastases of induced lung carcinomas in rats

A detailed study was made of seven cardiac metastases resulting from induced lung carcinomas. Fifty-six metastasizing lung carcinomas were found in Hann: Wistar rats as a result of subcutaneous injection of DPNA (dipentylnitrosamine). Of these 56, seven (12.5%) metastasized to the heart (three adenocarcinomas and four adenosquamous carcinomas). The metastatic tumors were located in the epicardium, myocardium, or endocardium, and their histologic appearance conformed to that of the primary lung carcinomas. The frequency of the cardiac metastasis and the preference of location within the heart were comparable with human cases.