[Heart metastasis of malignant tumors. An autopsy study]

In contrast to their clinical manifestation, metastases to the heart are not rare findings at autopsy. In one of five patients dying from metastatic cancer, spread to the heart is found. The incidence of metastatic involvement of the heart depends on the type of cancer, malignant melanoma and leukemia being the most frequent and metastases of carcinoma less so. The primary carcinomas metastasizing to the heart are most often situated near it, which may indicate that lymphatic channels are infiltrated in a retrograde manner from metastatic deposits in mediastinal lymph nodes. The fact that metastasis of primary carcinoma in the vicinity of the heart lodge predominantly in the epicardium supports this concept. On the other hand, it appears easier to explain the frequency and distribution of cardiac metastases from carcinomas of the abdominal cavity by assuming that they are bloodborne. Hence it is assumed that the routes of disseminated of tumor cells to the heart are through lymphatic as well as blood vessels.