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Updated: Jun 11, 2025

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Published on: June 11, 2019
Rapidly Progressive Right Atrial Mass Secondary to Metastatic Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Richard T Carrick1, Karan Desai1, Jeremy Johnson2
1Department of Medicine, Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Insights
Metastatic cancer to the heart, specifically hepatocellular carcinoma, can cause rapidly growing right atrial masses. This case highlights an unusual but important cause of cardiac tumors.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Oncology
- Pathology
Background:
- Cardiac masses have a broad differential diagnosis, including primary tumors and metastases.
- Metastatic disease to the heart is a significant, though often overlooked, etiology.
Abstract:
Although the differential diagnosis for cardiac masses is broad and includes both benign and malignant primary cardiac tumors, metastases of noncardiac primary malignancies to the heart are an important etiology. We present an unusual case of a rapidly progressive right atrial mass caused by metastatic hepatocellular carcinoma.
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