Article Text
PDF
Summary
Tumour thrombus is seen in renal cell and hepatocellular carcinoma, but is rarely reported in colorectal cancer. A woman aged 46 years, with metastatic colonic adenocarcinoma, was found to have a large mass in the inferior vena cava (IVC) extending into the right atrium. Although this lesion was initially thought to be bland thrombus, imaging with contrast-enhanced CT scan and contrast-enhanced ultrasound supported the diagnosis of tumour thrombus. Despite the large size of the lesion, the patient was asymptomatic. Her lack of symptoms, and poor overall prognosis from her cancer led to the decision to avoid aggressive surgical or radiological interventions. Several months later, the patient passed away. At autopsy, there was no evidence of fatal embolisation from the pre-existing thrombus. Diagnosis of tumour thrombus in the IVC is difficult and management can be challenging due to the significant risks associated with treatment options.
Statistics from Altmetric.com
Footnotes
Contributors There are five contributing authors to this paper. Each author has signed the attached form as instructed by the BMJ. DM is primarily responsible for drafting the article and doing the appropriate literature review. NAN Worked with DM in drafting the article and was responsible for identifying the case and conception of the article. AF is a pathologist who collected appropriate pathology images and helped explain postmortem findings as relevant to the article. Danny Ng is a radiologist assigned to the case, provided images and captions as well as discussion around diagnostic uncertainty. VCT is a primary physician responsible for patient care, overseeing article and final editing.
Competing interests None declared.
Patient consent Obtained.
Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.